The Lazy Russian Horses Show

Class Valentines

2012-02-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

So, this year, Daphne's class isn't having an official "party" for Valentine's Day. I guess they are only allowed three parties a year, and this one didn't make the cut. The kids still get to exchange Valentines, but it's sort of more like a homework assignment. Very strict and specific instructions were sent home about what the students MUST (print name in d'nealian) and MUST NOT (send candy) UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES do. The cards were due today.

Not to be intimidated, I was determined to still have SOME fun with Valentine's Day cards this year, so we stole an idea from the internet and made rubber stamps by putting foam stickers on corks and bottle caps. While not as cute as last year's stolen Valentine idea, these were at least still hand made. One of these days, Daphne is probably just going to want the Justin Bieber (good grief) ones from the grocery store, so I'm hanging on to crafty as long as I can.

Hey! Look what was in our mailbox today!

When Kev gets home, we get to open it. I'm afraid it might be a bit of a let-down though. How can you possibly top alligator?

Another big weekend is here. Cooking classes, play dates, the whale movie, and some cleaning. Off to get a head start. Or maybe a nap.

Albert - by Grandpa

2012-02-08T15:11:00.001-07:00

My dad has been doing lots of good paintings lately, and this is one of my favorites. This is Albert when he was a puppy. He was so little when we went to get him from the SPCA. His name was "Tommy." He doesn't really look like a Tommy to me. Albert suited him much better. I miss you, Albert.

Craftapalooza

2012-02-08T14:25:00.002-07:00

The craftiness continues around here. I decided to show Daphne how to do an embroidery back stitch.

She got the hang of it pretty quickly, and made a "D" with a circle around it. She wants me to make it into a pillow for her stuffed dogs.

Meanwhile, at Daisies last night, the girls made Valentine's Day cards and crafts to swap with another Daisy troop as part of earning their "Be a Sister to all Girl Scouts" petal. All of the parents pitched in to help, which was awesome because otherwise it could have been a disaster.

The girls did great, and we ended up with nice little Valentine bags to give to the other troop. I think they will like it. Violet petal earned!

Today after school, Daphne and I made a Valentine t-shirt using a doily and some fabric paint. It should be noted that I don't care for the word "doily," but they do make nice stencils.

At the moment, it is snowing, but it will probably melt by tomorrow. Yesterday it was warm enough to go outside without a coat. Saturday night, Kev and I walked downtown to see a movie and it was snowing. My bulbs are coming up, and they must be so confused. Cold, warm, cold, warm. Such a weird winter this year.

Kev and I saw The Descendents at the Tally Ho. It was really great. Go see it. Take some kleenex. Then we went to dinner at Palio, which was very good...it's hard to go wrong with mushroom raviolis, especially when they have little amaretti cookies crumbled on top. I have to remember that next time I make ravioli.

It was a really busy weekend. Daphne had two birthday parties, Kev and I went out, and my parents, Jeff, and Scout the good new puppy came over for breakfast on Sunday. This coming weekend, the Daisies have a cooking class on Saturday and Daphne has a play date on Sunday. Never a dull moment.

She's Crafty

2012-02-01T14:12:00.001-07:00

Daphne is getting old enough now to do some pretty cool crafty stuff. Yesterday, I got her a potholder loom like I had when I was a kid. She did almost the whole thing by herself, and now I have a lovely and cheerful new potholder in my kitchen. It's only February, but it looks like we have this year's Christmas gifts covered. Potholders for all!

Friendship bracelets and finger knitting coming soon!

Green Shoes

2012-01-30T10:01:00.001-07:00

If I had a whole bunch of money, I would totally buy these.

Derby Day

2012-01-30T09:55:00.001-07:00

Over the weekend, the local Girl Scouts had their annual Powderpuff Pinewood Derby. So, Kev helped Daphne build her car on Saturday, and on Sunday, we were ready to race.

Before the Weigh-In

Pit Stop. We lost a wheel right before the race.

Daphne's car.

Cars everywhere.

Working on service projects before the race.

Waiting in the crowd.

Daphne's car in Lane One, and some very serious Scout Masters officiating.


With certificate, patch, and medal.

It was a crazy afternoon, but it was fun. They gave all the kids a participation medal and a certificate and patch. Daphne's car came in first once, but she didn't win an overall trophy. She didn't care, though. She had a great time making the car with Kev and hanging out with her Daisy friends at the race. Girl Scouting is awesome.

Good Puppy

2012-01-24T12:29:00.000-07:00

I totally don't have time to blog right now, but I wanted to post a few pictures of Jeff's good new puppy dog. Her name is Scout and she arrived Sunday night all the way from Georgia. She is a Nova Scotia duck tolling retriever and she is awesome. Daphne didn't have school yesterday, so we got to go play with her.

They look a little alike, huh?

Around Here...

2012-01-18T08:12:00.000-07:00

Daphne has been singing and painting.

Kev has been playing with his Christmas presents.

This mini-theramin actually works! Weee-oooh-weee-ooooh. So funny.

And I finally got something on the needles. If all goes well, the yarn in the photo above will eventually be a sleeve on a cardigan like this one:

And this weekend, Jeff is heading to Georgia to pick up the new puppy.

Last night we had beer cheese soup and right now there is a brisket in the slow cooker that is making the house smell all happy.

I can't complain.

Found

2012-01-13T14:11:00.002-07:00

These records, formerly (according to the stickers on the covers) belonging to a certain Miss Emily May Ross of Washington DC, were purchased for $2.00 each yesterday at an antique store downtown, which is where I found myself during my walk. The covers were so fabulous that I couldn't pass them up. Last night after dinner, we listened to Music for Relaxation, and it wasn't bad! Very relaxing, actually. Looking forward to listening to the others. By the way, I don't know about y'all, but that is not what I look like when I read. Where are her old lady reading specs and her housepants?! (You can click on the picture for a closer look at the album covers. LPs are awesome.)

P.S. There is an eerie resemblance between the man on the Flamenco album cover and Kev's dad.

I really enjoyed my walk yesterday. I went to the antique store and a used book store that opened just before Christmas called Books and Other Found Items. Cool little shop. Please go there so it doesn't close down. When I got home, I sat outside on the porch and read. Today it is cold and REALLY windy. No porch time or afternoon strolls today. But I did go to Curves. I told y'all I would. More exercise in 2012.

This morning, I finished my Stephen King book. It was so great. I couldn't stop reading it. I stayed up way too late every night this week because I couldn't put it down. Last night, I was stirring dinner with one hand and holding my kindle in the other - Reading While Cooking - because I had to know what was going to happen next. Now, I'm not going to tell you what the book was about, but I will say it was a premise that could have gone horribly horribly wrong. But it didn't. And even though the ending was a little "Hollywood," at least there WAS an ending. It didn't leave me hanging and make me mad as books so often do. I am 100% satisfied with this book. That almost never happens. So, props to Stephen King, and thanks again to Jeff for the recommendation. Time to start another book, but not before I get something going on my knitting needles. More knitting in 2012.

And less computer time in 2012, so I am signing off for the long holiday weekend. Happy MLK! See you next week.

More or Less

2012-01-12T10:44:00.002-07:00

This weather is crazy. These pictures were taken a couple days ago. When Daphne got off the bus, it was snowing and really really cold. Today it is in the high 50s, maybe even 60s, and I don't really even need a coat. Tomorrow's high is supposed to be 35. It can't seem to decide outside if it wants to be winter or spring, and we've had no significant snow at all this year. I don't really love it when it snows and snows and snows and it's forever until you see the grass again, but I could really go for a nice little short snow storm of 6 inches or so, so we can at least make a snow man and go sledding. The snow above immediately turned to rain and melted before anyone could actually play in it. Very disappointing. Anyway, I am considering going for a walk downtown today since the sun is out now and it will be too cold tomorrow.

I am really enjoying doing the food blog, but I feel like this one is getting neglected a little. Most of the other blogs I read have posted about their author's lofty goals for the New Year, and I just haven't gotten around to it. I'm not really much into the whole resolution thing. But then I started thinking that I am more likely to follow through with things if I post them here, for all two or three of you to read. It's like I'm suddenly obligated because it's been made "public."

Last year was a good year. In the beginning, anyway. In the first 8 months of 2011, I was organized, exercised a lot, ate well, lost 20 pounds, and felt like I pretty much had my act together most of the time. Then, Kindergarten started, I got involved in the PTA, started a Daisy Troop, and helped launch a new party planning business venture. These were all good things, but they overwhelmed me and completely shot the wheels off my groove. Then, it was Christmas, and at Christmas time all bets are off. However, in spite of an almost total groove derailment (if you've seen Super 8, just imagine the train scene), I managed to make it through the last 4 months of 2011 with my family still generally in favor of keeping me around, and miraculously only gaining back 2 pounds. And now, Christmas is over, Kindergarten is going much better, my role in the business is much smaller, and I'm not in charge of any more PTA projects. All I have to worry about really is Daisies, which is more work than it probably should be, but it's also really fun most of the time. There are no major hurdles on the horizon. Aaah.

So, today, in an effort to restart my groove, I did 30 minutes on the Wii Fit, and tomorrow I am going back to Curves to renew my membership for the next 6 months. And right here on this blog, for all the world to see, I am going to promise to exercise for at least 30 minutes, 6 days a week. Because in 2012, there needs to be more exercise. In fact, instead of New Year's Resolutions, I think I'll make a list. TWO lists. Of what there should be MORE and LESS of in 2012. So now, without further ado, the lists:

More: Exercise, salad, reading, knitting, band time, date nights, down time, bike rides, evening strolls, cooking with my kid, writing letters to my friends, board games, Skyping with far away people, crafts, visits with family, puppies, slow cooking, field trips, patience, sleep.

Less: Fretting, junk food, stuff, commitments, putting people in time out, computer time.

Wouldn't it be nice if just writing it made it come true? Oh well. I'm going to try. And I'm going to start now, by getting off the computer and taking a walk.

The Year in Books

2012-01-09T14:23:00.003-07:00

For Christmas last year (2010), my brother got me a Kindle. I love my Kindle. I wasn't sure I would love it, but I do. And because I have a Kindle, it is very easy for me to look at my home page now and make a list of the books I read in 2011. In order, even!. And I do love a good list. So here we go:

Life - Keith Richards
Skippy Dies - Paul Murray
The Help - Kathryn Stockett
Does the Noise in my Head Bother You - Steven Tyler
The Adults - Alison Espach
Unbroken - Laura Hillenbrand
Room - Emma Donoghue
Someone Named Eva - Joan M. Wolf
The Man in the Rockefeller Suit - Mark Seal (which I started in 2011, but finished in 2012)

plus - The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini in regular book form.

Hmm. That's 10 books in 12 months. Not bad, but I'd like to read more this year.

Yesterday I started my first complete Kindle book of 2012, 11/22/63 by Stephen King. I have never read a book by Stephen King, or seen any of the movies. But I have to tell you, I am totally into it so far (9% of the way). So thanks to my brother for the recommendation. I'm always looking for good books to read.

Now if I can just get some knitting going...

The WIP (Weekend in Pictures)

2012-01-09T11:08:00.003-07:00

A Creature "Rescue"

Picnic at Raflo Park

Fun with Macro

Splendor?

Hide and Seek

Alligator Jerky

Making Eggnog French Toast

Family Band Time

Giving the Dogs a Check-Up

And I finished a book.

This Alligator Jerky

2012-01-06T08:08:00.003-07:00

Is officially the weirdest thing we've ever gotten in the mail.

And if you want to know more, you'll have to check out What We Ate.

Fun with, um, Chili

2012-01-05T15:28:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, a long time ago in the 1990's, I had short hair and lived in a duplex with truly horrible Circus Peanut colored walls on Winton Street with my friends Bryce and Ken. Bryce was famous for impulsively buying things and taking them back. He bought a pasta machine, used it once, and took it back. He bought a food dehydrator machine, used it kind of a lot, and then took it back. He would get kittens from the SPCA and take them back as soon as they peed on something they shouldn't. So, one day, Bryce decided that he wanted an iguana for a pet. You can't really take iguanas back to the iguana store, so he named it Chili and put it in a very small container in the corner of a hallway where no one ever was. I think Chili became despondent. He stayed the same size for a very long time. Ken and I decided one day to make life better for Chili, so we made him the home in the photo above. There were things to climb on, there was room to move around, and there was even a blue background with glow-in-the-dark stars and a moon. We moved him into the living room where people actually hung out. Chili was happy and began to thrive and grow.

When people came over, we'd get Chili out and play with him. (I don't remember that guy with the tie! Who is that?!) And one year, after Christmas, we let Chili climb the tree. He was a well-loved Iguana.

Eventually, Bryce moved out. Do you think he took Chili? No. So, Ken took over ownership. Ken kept Chili for many years, and he grew and grew as you can see. Here he is, climbing on Ken at a new apartment with less offensively painted walls:

And here he is, climbing on our Bryce Replacement Roommate, Ol' Greg:

Chili escaped at least once and was found in the middle of the street. He wanted to be free, I guess. It was a miracle anyone found him before he got hit by a car. Ken eventually had to give Chili to a new owner who could handle a growing iguana with dreams of escape. I miss that lizard. He was a good pet.

Bryce is now a better owner of things. He got some dachshunds and he didn't take them back. He lives in Upstate New York and owns a really cool general store that I have every intention of visiting. I hope he is lenient with his return policy.

Ken is in the famous rock band, the Old 97s, and he lives in Dallas with his nice family and I think a cat. Old 97s are great, and I'm not just saying that because they are my friends. You should listen to them while you eat some barbecue and play washers in your back yard sometime. You'll see what I mean.

Ol' Greg moved to the Hill Country and just sort of vanished. I think everyone lost touch with him except maybe Ol' Curtis. I would love to see Greg. He was an interesting guy.

And I hope Chili is happy, wherever he is.

What We Ate

2012-01-04T12:14:00.002-07:00

So, the new blog is underway...please stop by What We Ate to check it out (I have placed a link on the sidebar too). Coming soon over there, more New Year's Day food experiments, and fun with chili. And stay tuned here for tales of the PPHPHB, and a countdown to the new puppy. Thanks!

And, We're Off!

2012-01-03T14:11:00.001-07:00

Hello, and welcome to 2012. I have just posted 58 pictures on Flickr from Christmas Vacation. There is no way I can possibly catch up in detail, so I will just say we had a great break. Daphne loved her Christmas gifts, we had a great time in New York (aside from Daphne's driveway face-plant), and we got some actual recording done during New Year's weekend. The Palo Pinto House Pants House Band is back in action, featuring our new lead singer and keyboard player, Daphne. And I got to play drums and melodica! So much fun. New songs coming soon.

Today, everyone went back to work and school, and it was quiet in the house. I went to the grocery store, but didn't get much else done. I have to take down Christmas, which is daunting and can wait until tomorrow, or maybe even the next day. I also have to start thinking about Girl Scouts again as our next meeting and cookie sales computer entries are looming. But first, I am taking a couple of days to ease into the new year by doing things I WANT to do instead of things I HAVE to do. I have books to read and sweaters to start knitting and blogs to blog. Christmas was fun, don't get me wrong, but it was a LOT of work, and I was still doing projects on Christmas Eve in spite of my early start. I have a lot to contemplate and consider before next Christmas. Perhaps there are ways to simplify.

The new year is off to a great start, and Big Plans have been swirling around my brain and keeping me awake. I have decided not to do the Project 365 photo thing this year. I made it through 2011 and only forgot to take a picture once, which I think is pretty good. I really enjoyed doing it, and I will probably have the project made into a blog book. But one year is enough. I didn't take a single picture yesterday, and it was nice to not have any pressure to do so.

This year, Kev suggested that instead of the picture-a-day thing, I do something with food as a separate blog. We tried three new recipes on New Year's Day, and I think that will be a good start. Then maybe at the end of this year, I'll have something I can have printed into a cookbook to give to Daphne when she's on her own. I am excited about it. So, stay tuned for details.

Of course, if I start putting the food stuff in a separate blog, it doesn't leave much to write about in this one, so I will have to come up with something entertaining. Wish me luck.

Tonight we are having make-your-own pizza night, but that is a subject for a different blog. I hope you all had a safe and happy holiday season and are enjoying 2012 so far.

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T18:54:00.001-07:00

Christmas Beyond the Bags

2011-12-22T05:57:00.002-07:00

Aaaah. I am having a nice quiet morning. Well, I was having a nice quiet morning. There is a lot of hollering going on upstairs. Not the bad kind of hollering, just the LOUD kind. The kind that starts with "MOM!" and usually ends with something like "I CAN'T FIND ANY SOCKS!" I'm ignoring it at the moment. It doesn't really sound urgent.

I was up early today for some reason, even though I could have actually slept in a little. Last night after Daphne went to bed, Kev and I exchanged our Christmas gifts. We always do it a few days early so we have time to play with our new toys before Christmas, and it's one of my favorite holiday traditions. We put on the "She and Him" Christmas CD, got some eggnog, and started unwrapping. We both received a lot of nice things...I got a new zoom lens for my camera and a gift certificate for a digital photography class, an awesome giant slow-cooker, a book of my blog from 2007, and SHOES! Kev got a punch tool that makes guitar picks, a mini-theramin kit, and a resonator ukulele. We both got some cds and records and a few other things. It was nice just to sit on the couch and hang out with Kev, who is now finally at the end of being sick and can actually breathe and taste food. Thanks, Kev, for all the great gifts. Yay!

Last weekend, Daphne spent the night in Manassas, and I went over the next morning for Christmas Cookie Baking Day with Grandma (and Grandpa). Another one of my favorite traditions...I remember it from when I was a kid. I hope Daphne will, too.

I didn't really get very crafty this year. Sadly, there are no hand-knitted gifts. But I did make Daphne some new Christmas PJs:

I was really happy that she likes them...kids can be kinda "meh" about getting clothes for Christmas. But she put these dachshund ones on right away and started striking JC Penney catalog poses:

I gave them to her early, because the kids had a party at school on Tuesday and were supposed to wear pajamas. She wore the ones above, with the "Christmas Dogs" fabric.

The party at school was a "snowman" party, and it sounded like it was really fun. They put all the Kindergarteners in the cafeteria with wadded up balls of paper and they had a snowball fight. Then, the teachers wrapped their feet in wax paper so they could "ice skate." THEN, they gave the kids the following things, all at once: a giant glazed doughnut with sprinkles, hot chocolate with marshmallows and a candy cane to stir it with, gummy bears, and M&Ms. Then, they sent them HOME. All hopped up on sugar, like Buddy the Elf.

Here is who got off the bus:

You may notice the doughnut icing all over her face and the crazy look in her eye. Signs of a good time, I reckon. Needless to say, it was a challenging afternoon for me. ( I seriously considered letting her go to town on the leftover Halloween candy yesterday right before I sent her to school to show the teachers what they missed).

But, I'm glad they do these things for the kids every once in a while, because they almost NEVER get any playtime at school. Daphne had a blast. I wish I could have been there to see all those kids ice skating around the cafeteria in their PJs. So much fun.

On Sunday, the Daisies got together for a Christmas craft-party, where they made up boxes of gifts for some local seniors. They had a great time, and yesterday we delivered the boxes to the Senior Center where they were much appreciated.

School is out now for the holidays, and I am going to take a break from the computer and spend time with my family. Have a great Christmas, and I'll catch up with you in the new year.

Twenty

2011-12-21T14:35:00.001-07:00

Number 20: Stroll downtown to the King's Court Tavern for some Dixieland Jazz. This was our favorite activity last year, and it was nice this year too. Good music:

Time to finish up the teacher's Christmas cards while waiting for dinner.

The best fish and chips in Northern Virginia.

And coloring in the new coloring book with Daddy.

Good times.

Fifteen thru Nineteen

2011-12-21T09:04:00.001-07:00

Fifteen: We were supposed to go downtown for jazz at the pub, but Kev was still sick, so instead there was PEZ and snowman glasses. They make the lights on the tree look like this:

Sixteen: Really Big Gingerbread Man from Trader Joe's. We haven't had a chance to decorate it yet, but we will. Someday. If it's not in a million pieces.

Seventeen: An ornament for Quincy. Can't leave out Quincy. He's part of the family.

Eighteen: ELF night! At last! We all put on our PJs, picked a cookie, and watched the greatest Christmas movie of all time. My face hurt from smiling for 90 minutes. Will Farrell is a genius.

Nineteen: Make Christmas cards for the teachers.

Phew! So much more to write, but no time now. Off to deliver cookies to Daphne's school. It's her last day before break. And my last 4 hours of alone time to finish projects. Down to the wire as usual. Ho ho ho!

Fourteen

2011-12-15T06:44:00.003-07:00

Today at school, Daphne learned about St. Lucia and Christmas in Sweden. Hence the hat. Bag fourteen was a Snoopy decoration kit. We put on the Pink Martini Christmas CD and enjoyed some quiet time doing arts and crafts by the tree.

Kev is still sick. Not good. He is miserable and can't sleep, but still has to go to work. Plans must be changed. Bags must be re-arranged. People who aren't very good at being flexible are having to be flexible. The good news is, Daphne is a lot better, I'm not sick (knock on wood), and Kev should be well by Christmas.

Yesterday I did my million errands. Today, projects. The train keeps a'rollin...

Twelve and Thirteen

2011-12-13T18:57:00.000-07:00

Daphne was still pretty sick last night, so there are no photos of Bag #12. Inside was a note that said, "Family Movie Night" and there was an accompanying package containing the Chipmunk's Christmas DVD. We watched it - it was nice and short - right before bed.

Tonight, Bag #13 said, "Let's read a book." Last year, we got the Grinch book, and this year it was a book called "The Christmas Magic." I want to get us a new Christmas book each year so Daphne will have a collection when she grows up.

It is a nice story with calm and peaceful illustrations. I like it.

Daphne stayed home sick again today, and we had to miss Piano/Art lessons and the Daisy meeting. I got my Christmas cards done, but not much else. She's going to school tomorrow. But it was nice having her home with me for a couple of days. We just took it easy. Now, Kev is sick. I am determined to stay well. If I get sick, Christmas may not come. Tomorrow I have a million errands.

WIP (Weekend In Pictures)

2011-12-12T07:44:00.001-07:00

Inside Bag Number 10, on Saturday morning, were some fancy chocolate-coated peppermint marshmallows and a note that said, "Time for hot chocolate." Perfect timing, because it was nigh upon the annual Leesburg Christmas Parade (excuse me, the Leesburg Christmas and Holiday Parade, as it's now known). And it was pretty cold outside.

So, we drank hot chocolate and watched the parade. Here it comes:

There were lots of scout troops marching and passing out candy. Daphne's school made a float (they were the only school that did...I really love Daphne's school). Below are the Principal (right) and Assistant Principal carrying the banner:

And here is a happy kid, all full of hot chocolate and with a bag full of candy at her side, giving a wave

to Santa!

Living on the parade route is a really cool thing which I do not take for granted. I am very thankful that we don't have to drive to it and find parking and all that, and I am glad Daphne will have this in her set of childhood memories. ('Cause she's probably never going to Disney). (Just kidding). (But only sorta).

Saturday afternoon was the Big Princess Birthday Party. It was a LOT of work but it went very well and the customer seemed pleased. The little girl LOVED it, but it probably matters more that the mommy did. But I think we did well for our first gig. Glad it's over. I got home just in time to see Santa on his annual trip down our cul-de-sac on the fire truck. I would have been really sad if I'd missed it. Thanks to Kev for watching Daphne all day so I could go to work. She started coming down with a cold that afternoon and is home from school today, still sick.

Yesterday, we all needed a break, so Bag number 11 declared it was Family Day. I got to pick breakfast (baked oatmeal - yum!), Daphne got to pick a board game (Wildlife Memory), and Kev got a new Ukulele Christmas music book for Family Band Time, which we had up in the attic. Here is Daphne as One-Man-Band:

We were also supposed to go pick out an ornament for this year, but skipped it since Daphne was sick. We did decide to go to a drive-through Nativity last night, though, since you didn't have to leave the car. We even wore our pajamas. Which turned out to be a good thing, because Daphne fell asleep in the car before we even entered the scene. The line of cars was miles long and really really slow. We left the house at about 7:00, and it was almost 9:30 when we got home. The church was only five minutes from the house! So, Daphne, who could actually breathe because she was sitting straight up, fell sound asleep while we were still out on the highway. Kev would have fallen asleep too, but he was driving so I wouldn't let him. At last, we made it to see Baby Jesus:

and some camels:

and the rest of the production, which was really nice but maybe not totally worth the wait in line for two hours with a sick, sleeping kid. I was disappointed that she missed it. She would have liked it I think.

Today I am going to try to get some things done, like Christmas cards and other little house projects, but I know it won't be easy with Daphne home from school. That's OK, though. I guess a little rest, even if it's forced, might be good for me. Better go check on the sick kid now. Hope your weekend was good too!

Number Nine, Number Nine, Number Nine

2011-12-09T18:21:00.001-07:00

Bag Nine: Make a Snow Globe

Seven and Eight

2011-12-08T18:19:00.001-07:00

Bag 7: Make Your Own Christmas Mug. Just in case there is eventually hot chocolate. (Hmm...perhaps some Bag foreshadowing).

And Bag 8 - the most fun so far - Christmas Charades. Here is Rudolf:

And here is the Heat Miser:

I think these are the same ones she got last year. She was also Professor Hinkle from Frosty. I was the Grinch, Buddy the Elf and Cindy-Lou Who. Thank goodness there are no pictures of that. Kev was Santa, Frosty, and Charlie Brown. It is harder than you think to come up with Christmas charades ideas. But it is a lot of fun to play.

Kev pulled out Daphne's 2nd tooth last night. She looks pretty funny.

Today, out of nowhere, she asked me if there is such a thing as bacon dot com. As a matter of fact, it turns out, there is! Everyone loves bacon. Who knows where she comes up with these questions, though.

OK. The couch is calling me...

Six

2011-12-06T19:40:00.001-07:00

Number Six: Ornaments for you to color.

The countdown continues...

Bag Update and Other Goings-On

2011-12-06T12:09:00.001-07:00

This blog today is mostly pictures. I am too far behind to write about the last few days in great detail, so you lucked out and will be spared this time! Here are the highlights: Bag 2 was a small stuffed Snoopy (above). But Friday was more about the tree-lighting, so here are a few pics from our adventure downtown:

That's the Mayor in the red scarf, getting ready for the countdown. Daphne is ready. Below is just after the switch was flipped.

Ooooooh. Aaaaaah.

It was a good night out. Uncle Jeff and Cousin Curt met us and we ended up going to a new Thai place for dinner.

Saturday morning, we opened Bag 3: Go pick out a toy to donate to Toys for Tots. So, we walked to the Farmer's Market for eggs, grabbed breakfast at the deli, and then went shopping at Ben Franklin, where Daphne picked out some John Deere tractors for the donation box at the rec center. In the afternoon, I took the Daisies to the Girl Scout campground for a day of activities like candle-making, soap-making, campfire building, trail marking, and so forth.

The girls were awesome and didn't complain the whole day. It was fun but exhausting. I fell asleep on the couch at about 8:00.

Sunday, Bag 4 told us it was time to put up the tree! We got the new She and Him Christmas CD to make it more festive. As it turns out, Kev had gotten that for me for Christmas. D-oh! Advent Lesson Number 1: Tell Kev if you get a CD for the bags.

The annual putting on of the angel:

Ta-da!

And finally, last night was Bag 5 and Daphne's half-birthday. There were cupcakes (featuring the candle she made at the girl scout thing):

And the Advent treat: Some of those sticky gel things you decorate your windows with.

Today it is rainy and yucky and I am sleepy. I had to re-arrange some of the bags due to changes in our holiday schedule. Advent Lesson Number 2: You have to be flexible. And it's not a bad idea to have some back-up treats in case of emergency. You can always put them in the stocking if they don't get used.

Time to go wait for the school bus. I'm glad we have nothing planned this afternoon. We could all use a little break. Bag 6 coming soon...

The Mayor and Bag One

2011-12-02T04:01:00.001-07:00

December started off big.

Daphne and I spent the first morning of December at Leesburg's brand new Chick Fil A. It was the grand opening, and there were people who actually camped out overnight to be one of the first 100 customers and receive a year of free sandwiches. We weren't that hard-core. We just wanted breakfast. So we went at about 8:30 after all the craziness had passed. We WERE there, however, in time for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which our mayor does when any new business opens in the town. I think it was a pretty cool thing for Daphne to see. We missed the actual cutting, because she was in the play area, but we went outside and saw the Boy Scouts do a flag-raising ceremony followed by a band playing the National Anthem. Then they started giving everyone cow stuffed animals, and Daphne decided she wanted to meet the mayor, who I had told her was sorta like the president of Leesburg. So, I took Daphne over to the Mayor, who is this really really nice lady, and they shook hands. Daphne told her that we planned to be at the First Friday annual lighting of the town Christmas tree (we go every year - so much fun) and the next thing I knew, the Mayor had recruited Daphne to help her flip the switch that lights the tree! Imagine how HUGE of a thing this is if you are five. Daphne is so excited. She said, "Mom, the whole town is going to cheer for me!" She thinks she's famous now.

So, after school we decided to take a walk downtown to see the tree (or as it turns out, trees) she will be lighting (above). Everyone was out decorating their shop windows and things, getting ready for First Friday. There are some really great things about this sleepy little town at Christmastime. (There are some not-so-great things too, but we can save that for another blog). Anyway, tonight's the big night, so we'll see how it goes. I hope Daphne doesn't trip over the wires, knock down the tree and get booed. That's what would happen if it was me I reckon. I'll just stand back and stay out of the way. I'll try to post some pictures tomorrow.

Last night was also the grand opening of Advent Bag #1.

Bag One's activity was "Write a letter to Santa," which she did on some extra super fancy Christmas paper I bought a while back. This was a little difficult because it was WAY past bedtime and people were loopy, but she got it done and it will go out in the mail today.

Today we have a short morning business meeting about the Princess party, a visit with Daphne's friend's foster kittens, a trip to the school book fair, lots of catching up on Daisy stuff, laundry and house-cleaning, a First Friday tree-lighting ceremony with the Mayor, a visit with Uncle Jeff and Cousin Curt, and Bag Two. I will not be cooking today. And will I ever knit or read books again?!

Happy December!

December Eve

2011-11-30T12:42:00.001-07:00

Well, I tried. My goal was to be completely ready for Christmas by December 1 so that I could coast through the month. A lofty goal. Too lofty, as it turns out. But although I'm not finished, my start is nothing to sneeze at. The month of December should be pretty easy.

This afternoon, I finished getting the Advent bags ready for the countdown to Christmas, which starts tomorrow. I really enjoyed doing this last year, and so did Daphne. Kev mostly enjoyed it, I think, but for him, there can be too much Christmas, and a 24 day countdown is probably pushing it a little. What I like, though, is that this countdown forces us to stop down at least once every day as a family and do something together to celebrate the season. Otherwise, we'd probably just go through the usual tired after-dinner routine, which often involves some or all of us being cranky, behaving poorly, collapsing into a crying heap, and/or falling asleep on the couch. These bags generally seem to promote good will and good behavior. So, I highly recommend doing this if you have kids in your house. Or even if you don't! And if 24 seems like too much, you could always count down the 12 days of Christmas.

If you want to see what kinds of things were in the bags last year, you can go to the December 2010 archive on the sidebar. This year will be much of the same. I'll try to check in each day, though, with a "Bag Report." So stay tuned for that.

Here is a helpful Thanksgiving tip for you: If you are in charge of the cheddar biscuits and have to buy a giant thing of buttermilk because the recipe calls for 1/2 cup, don't throw out the rest of the buttermilk. That's what I usually do. But this year, I decided to make buttermilk pancakes from scratch, and I am so glad I did. They were awesome and they made my family happy. Making pancakes from scratch is only very slightly more difficult than using a mix, so I don't know why people don't do it more often. I used this recipe and just ignored the part about the molds. Williams-Sonoma never lets me down.

On Sunday, my Daisies went Christmas caroling with the Brownies and Juniors from our school to collect food for a local shelter. What a great day. The weather was awesome - in the high 60s - and the kids were so cute. Everyone had a great time and we collected quite a bit of food.

Then last night at our meeting, the girls received their Girl Scout pins in a short ceremony. Here they are, singing a little song for the parents. I wish I had video. Cute.

Meanwhile, I am still fighting some kind of weird head-cold thing. I haven't gotten full-blown sick, but I've been feeling pretty crummy for a week now. Maybe it's the crazy weather. It has been so warm that the cherry tree out back got confused and started blooming. But today, a cold front is blowing through and it will probably feel like winter again tomorrow.

The rest of this week is about making small steps toward finishing Christmas. Daphne just asked to help decorate. This should be interesting.

Another quick tip: If you happen to get superglue on your fingers while decorating your home for Christmas, pure acetone nail polish remover will get it off.

See you tomorrow for Bag Number One!

Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T20:13:00.001-07:00

I like Thanksgiving. Great food, visitors from out of town, naps. This year, I was once again in charge of cheddar biscuits, sweet potatoes (thank you, Suzanne), and a dessert (the apple crisp of course). I've been fighting a little head cold all week, but it didn't stop me from enjoying all the food. (Last year, I was REALLY sick on Thanksgiving and couldn't taste anything.) And it was great to see my aunts.

Here's everyone at the table with plates of food waiting to be eaten:

It took about 15 minutes to eat. Best meal of the year.

Wednesday night, we went out to celebrate Daphne's good report card. She picked the gas station Thai place for dinner, and then we saw the new Muppet Movie. It is awesome. Really really good. At one point, during a hilarious scene with singing chickens, I laughed out loud for about 2 minutes straight. I never do that at movies. And the audience clapped at the end of the movie. That doesn't happen every day. So, go see it if you can. You will be glad.

Cider making has begun again at our house. One of them is giving off a pretty bad smell. I hope that means the yeast is doing its job in there.

While Kev has been working on cider, I have been working on projects for my new job helping to plan birthday parties. Our first paying gig has a princess theme.

And Daphne has been working on learning some Christmas songs at piano lessons. Sometimes Kev joins her on guitar. It is one of my favorite things to see/hear.

Sunday, the Daisies are going caroling, which should be very cute.

I hope you all had a safe and happy Thanksgiving and are enjoying the nice long weekend.

And now, Christmas. Bring it.

School, Candy, and Rock and Roll

2011-11-17T06:28:00.001-07:00

The most recent theme in Daphne's kindergarten class is "turkeys." They've been talking about turkeys for the last couple of weeks, and Daphne has decided that she loves turkeys. So much so, that she isn't going to eat one for Thanksgiving. We had a long discussion in the car the other day about killing animals and eating meat and so forth. It went something like this:

D: Mom, it isn't fair to kill the turkeys! I'm never eating turkey again!

Me: Well, we need the protein that we get from meat to be healthy.

D: Why can't they just make meat at a factory instead of killing animals?

Me: You can't MAKE meat. It comes from animals.

D. Well, I don't want to kill any animals. I'm not eating meat anymore.

Me: Then you will have to get protein some other way, like by eating lots of eggs. (She doesn't like eggs) And that means no more hot dogs, hamburgers, bacon, ham, chicken...

D: That will be hard. (Long silence)

She ate some beef at dinner last night without mentioning anything. I'm not sure how much she understands, but I know that she feels pretty strongly about the turkeys. I told her she could just have ham on Thanksgiving if she wants. She said she was going to demand that nobody else eats turkey either. I told her she can't do that, but if it would help, I'd skip the turkey too, and just have ham with her. This seemed to help, and to be honest, I'm not that crazy about turkey anyway. I feel an inevitable vegetarian phase coming on at some point with this kid. It's only a matter of time.

Yesterday, I got to go to Daphne's school for American Education Week. The parents were invited into the classroom to see the typical goings-on, which was good, because it has been hard to get a clear picture of a school day just from Daphne's descriptions. While I was there, she did an art project and worked on the computers:

Then, the parents were herded into the cafeteria for a special treat. The kids all appeared on stage to perform the Turkey Tango (click picture to enlarge. Daphne is left of center in green.) :

There is nothing like a bunch of five-year-olds singing and dancing. I loved it. And the kids had a great time.

How could I possibly think of eating a turkey after that?

In Daisy news, the girls in my troop each brought some leftover Halloween candy to be donated to soldiers. They made some cards to go with it. Yesterday, I took the candy to a local dentist's office, which was participating in a candy buy-back program, so it could be shipped overseas. It turns out that they were paying a dollar per pound of candy donated! I figured we might get some toothbrushes or something, but didn't know there would be cash! Anyway, we collected 17 pounds of candy, so we earned $17 for our troop. Maybe we'll have an ice cream party or something with the money to make up for the Halloween candy they gave away.

Last night, I went to Jammin Java in Vienna with Jeff to see the great John Wesley Harding:

He appeared with his latest band, which was made up of him, some Decemberists, a guy named Scott McCaughey from various bands like the Young Fresh Fellows, and Peter Buck, from a little band you may have heard of called REM. It was a weird show. I have seen JWH probably more times than any other musical act, several times since the very beginning of his career in the late 80s. He usually plays alone or with a couple other people in an unplugged setting, so it was strange to see him with a whole big loud band. He did do an acoustic solo set in the middle of the show, but it was all new songs that no one had ever heard. In fact, during the whole show, I had only ever heard two of the songs, and that was just because I happened to see them on youtube. Normally, I would be very upset seeing a whole show of songs I don't know, but the band was so great that it didn't matter.

It was weird to be 20 or 30 feet from Peter Buck. He appeared to be very disinterested in the whole thing, and stood off by himself for most of the show, very still and expressionless. Every now and then, he'd lean into a chord a little, and there would be a slight hint of stink-face as if he was about to get into it, but then, he'd quickly return to being stoic, as if he suddenly remembered he was playing for about 150 people at a coffee shop in suburban Virginia instead of a stadium full of superfans. Maybe that's just the way he is, though. I don't think he'd be doing the tour if he wasn't enjoying it. He certainly doesn't need the money. He played mandolin on a couple songs, which was really cool. And he was wearing a fabulous shirt.

After the show, I got the new JWH release on vinyl, and he signed it for me. He has aged. That means I have aged as well. In fact, the whole crowd was made up of a bunch of really old looking people, who were probably actually about the same age as me. (Shudder). I got home at 11:30, and was exhausted. No more rock shows for a while.

The Christmas train is rolling along at my house. I feel pretty on top of things at the moment. It's nice to have my act together for once. I better get off the computer, though, and do something productive so as not to throw off the groove.

Save the Turkeys!

Eleven Eleven Eleven

2011-11-11T14:02:00.001-07:00

Happy 11-11-11, and a shout out to all the good Veterans. It's been busy as usual around here. Daphne was out of school on Monday and Tuesday, so we had a four-day weekend. Highlights included a trip to Build-a-Bear workshop and a visit to Our Nation's Capital for museums, planetariums, barbeque with Uncle Jeff, a carousel ride, and ice cream on the National Mall. Big Fun for a Monday.

It was a beautiful fall day. We really got lucky with the weather, because now it is cold and windy. I don't mind cold, but I'm not a fan of windy.

The planetarium was cool, but it made me carsick! And the show we saw was narrated by the very irritating Whoopi Goldberg. But it was still cool. Daphne loved it.

We almost didn't get to go to the planetarium, because Kev had his Swiss army knife, which is against the Smithsonian rules. Don't tell anyone, but he went outside and hid it in the bushes while we went in the museum. The security guards were very rude. They were just doing their jobs, but they didn't have to be such jerks about it. This is the one and only negative thing I can think of to say about the Smithsonian museums. All of them are really great. And free. DC is awesome.

Yesterday was Daphne's 50th day of school, so they had a Fifties Day party. Daphne's teacher invited me to go, and I'm so glad I did. It was one of the cutest things I've ever seen. The kids and teachers dressed up.

There was a dance party, decorations, root beer floats, bubble gum, the limbo, the chicken dance (did they have that in the 50s?):

and some very wheels-off hula-hooping:

I loved every minute of it. The kids did too. So dang cute.

And now, it's Friday again. I am hoping for a low-key weekend, but not holding my breath. I am pleased to report that I am about half-way finished with my Christmas shopping, and almost completely prepared for the repeat of last year's popular Advent Bags. My goal is to be done with as much as possible by December 1st so I can coast through the month. We shall see.

Anyway, enjoy the weekend, wherever you are. If you don't have anything to do, make the apple crisp I told you about the other day. You will not be sorry.

We've Been Fairy-ed!

2011-11-04T07:08:00.000-06:00

At 5:40 am, we were awakened to the sound of excited pitter-pattering, the flinging open of our door, and shouting. "Guys! Guess what! The Tooth Fairy came! Turn on the light so I can show you what she brought!"

5:40 am. FIVE FORTY. AM. In the morning.

Rewind to yesterday after school, when my kid, who cries at the mere thought of removing a band-aid, who runs screaming at the suggestion of tasting something that has touched melty cheese, decided that nothing would do but that she must pull out her loose tooth, all by herself, immediately. There was quite a bit of blood, but she was not deterred. Once the decision was made, there was no turning back. The whole procedure took about 10 minutes, but there was (shockingly) nary a tear. Not even a wince! Someone brave took over Daphne's brain long enough to get that tooth out.

She was so proud, and so excited. And I was in shock. I have never seen her so determined to do something new and sort of scary. Way to go, little Peanut.

In the evening before bed, she wrote this note:

Short and sweet, and right to the point. The kid wants to keep all her teeth, because she "will miss them too much."

The Tooth Fairy, as you can see at the top, was kind enough to let her keep this first one, but hopefully will be collecting all the rest. She also left a very nice, very tiny note, and a one dollar coin with Andrew Johnson on it. We know this because Daphne came in and showed us. At 5:40 am.

And in spite of being really tired, I am really happy that Daphne was so excited that she woke up early for a little happy magical childhood moment. Everybody needs those now and then.

Off to make more coffee now...

Oh Dear

2011-11-02T18:11:00.002-06:00

There seems to be no end to this stuff:

Get ready to be Elf-ed.

If I have to Elf somebody, I am going to put a bag on their porch containing a bottle of maple syrup and a box of spaghetti.

Apples and Pumpkins and Daisies, Oh My.

2011-10-31T07:09:00.003-06:00

I jumped into October head first, and I am finally coming up for air. It was a busy busy month. We picked apples:

And turned some of them into this skillet apple crisp, which resulted in my family giving me three cheers:

Here is the recipe. I am telling you it is delicious. Really really good. And easy...way easier than apple pie, and just as good in my opinion. It's the topping. Holy cow, that is some good topping. Make some today and your family will probably cheer you. And being cheered is better than being boo-ed.

Or is it?

More on that later.

I volunteered to be a chaperone on the Kindergarten field trip to the pumpkin farm:

It was cold and chaotic and lots of fun. Then our bus got stuck in the mud on the way out of the parking lot. A giant tractor had to come and pull us out with a big chain. Best day ever.

My friends and I also planned a big fall harvest party for 12 kids to practice for our new business adventure planning birthday parties. The party was great and the kids had a blast. And we all enjoyed working on it together, which is a good sign.

It would have been more fun, though, if I didn't have so many other things going on at the same time. Daisy Scouts is great too, but taking up a lot of time. I have the cutest little troop, and they all get along great. Here are some cupcakes I made for our Founder's Day meeting.

Those are the Daisy Petals in M&M form. We've had 2 meetings so far, plus I had a leader's meeting. And we had a nice little fall hike planned for this past Saturday, but we had to cancel it. More on THAT later too.

In addition to planning parties and leading Daisies, I also became involved in putting together the PTA's Fall Harvest Festival at Daphne's school. Here is Daphne, on festival day, ready to go as Princess Leia:

And here is my station, the Lollipop Tree (or as it turned out, the Lollipop Pumpkin):

The festival was a big success. I wish I could say the same for the Ranger's game 7 that same evening. Here I am, manning the lollipop tree in my Hopeful Ranger's Fan costume, before the crushing defeat. I even let the Girl Scouts paint a "TX" and a "32" on my face at the face-painting table. Sigh.

Princess Leia, meanwhile, got a spider painted on her face. Perhaps a better choice, all things considered.

The next morning, it snowed. In October. Snow. That's why we had to cancel the Daisy's little fall nature hike. Snow. But Daphne had a blast playing in it:

And after the snow, there was hot chocolate (which resulted in this hilarious Derek Holland mustache):

We also got Boo-ed twice this month, which isn't as bad as it sounds. Getting boo-ed is when someone anonymously puts a bag of Halloween treats on your porch, knocks, and runs away. When you get boo-ed, you are then supposed to keep it going by booing two friends, and they boo two friends, and so on, and so on, and so on. I have never heard of this until this year. In Texas, there was only the bad kind of booing.

I think this Halloween booing is a cute little tradition, but I can see some potential hurt feelings. What if all the kids in your neighborhood get boo-ed, but not you? Awful. It's like the leprechauns. It's not good when some kids get left out. Oh well. There's no stopping these holiday rituals once they get started.

Speaking of such things, the Tooth Fairy will be making her first visit to our house any day now. Exciting times.

Daisies, PTA, party planning, field trips, plus all the regular stuff like cooking and cleaning and going to Daphne's art and piano classes, plus night after night of post-season baseball, all in one month, and I am pretty exhausted. And poor Kev worked ridiculous hours this month, getting home many nights at 1:30 AM, so he's exhausted. And since Kevin wasn't home, Daphne got dragged with me to lots of extra meetings, so she's exhausted, and on more than one occasion, actually ASKED to go straight to bed.

So, October ends today, and I made it through the month, but I learned my lesson about taking on too much at once. There was a lot of fun, but there were some tense and stressful moments. And now, Christmas is coming, and we all know how THAT usually goes around here. The good news is, the PTA fest is over, my role in the party planning is smaller now, and I now have a co-leader to help with the Daisies. So, bring on the holidays. I'm ready!

But first, some apple crisp:

Ahhhh, yeah.

Good Dog

2011-10-18T06:48:00.001-06:00

We will miss you, Albert.

Thanks for being our friend.

Friday Night Blog

2011-10-14T18:57:00.003-06:00

Dear Blog,

I miss you. Out of nowhere, I have become this person with a lot of stuff going on. I'm spending all my time working on PTA stuff, planning Daisy Scout stuff, dealing with inconvenient fake medical issues, contemplating my future occupation, and watching six-hour baseball games. Meetings, appointments, training classes, rain delays. In between all that, I have managed to squeeze in some leisure activities: First Friday, a cider-tasting party, Elvis Costello in DC, breakfast with my family at South Street, an afternoon with Kev at a winery. But there has been no time to blog. Or stroll to the coffee shop. Or read. Or knit. Although I should probably be knitting during these six-hour baseball games.

As exhausting as all this stuff is, I have to say it feels sorta good to have something to do beyond being "Mommy." I feel like I am actually making a contribution to the world outside my house for the first time in a long time. And the funny thing is, I think it has been good for Daphne. I can't explain it, but since I've been busier, her behavior and moods have improved.

The downside is that I'm not getting much sleep and the house-cleaning is minimal and Kev happens to also be really busy at the moment so whole-family time is minimal too.

All for the greater good, I reckon. Things will slow back down soon.

And then, it will be Christmas.

Good grief.

I hope to be back soon. I have a lot to blog about whenever I can find some time. Until then, GO RANGERS!!!!!!!!!

Another PSA

2011-10-05T08:22:00.003-06:00

Kev alerted me to National Walk to School Day, which is today, October 5. So, we're walking to school today. The timing could not have been better, because the sun has come out and it has finally stopped raining. Don't worry if you are just now reading this, and it's too late to walk to school today. October is Walk to School MONTH, so just do it another day.

Busy busy busy, like so much Professor Hinkle. In fact, my brain is so saturated, that when I was mixing up some bread dough today (yes! bread-making season!), I lost count somewhere between 1 and 6 cups of flour, and may have some very dry bread on my hands for dinner. It's bad when you can't even count to six properly. Oh well.

By the way, I am about to change my mind about Zooey Deschanel's TV show. I like her, but it isn't very good. I'll give it a couple more chances before I delete it from my DVR recording schedule.

More blogs coming soon...

October. Yes.

2011-10-01T13:59:00.001-06:00

Today is October first. So, Daphne and I made pumpkin bread. I'm not sorry to say goodbye to gloomy September. The man on TV said there was only one sunny day the whole month. I believe it. October is off to a cold and rainy start, but I have high hopes for crisp sunny days this month. The yucky September weather brought me down and made me sleepy and lethargic. I haven't been able to get things done. Like blogging.

The pumpkin bread is really good. And tonight we're having Giada's white bean and chicken chili concoction. We're starting this month off right.

Last week was busy. I have a lot going on these days with suddenly being part of the PTA and the Girl Scouts and a new business venture. Plus, we celebrated my mom's birthday, I went to DC to see Elvis Costello with my brother, and last night was Kev's company picnic, otherwise known as the "Work Festival." Good stuff, but I'm exhausted.

On top of all that, Kev and Daphne have both been sick, and I haven't been getting nearly enough sleep.

But things are gonna change now. Because it is October. The very best month of the year. So, bring it on. Time to make chili.

PS. Go Rangers!

Car Free Thursday

2011-09-21T15:52:00.001-06:00

Here is a quick LRHS PSA: Tomorrow, September 22, is World Carfree Day. So, if you are able, try not to drive. I will be not driving. Maybe that means I will get something done around the house since I will be kind of stuck here. I would walk places, but I think it's supposed to rain. Imagine that. I can't remember the last day it DIDN'T rain, at least a little. The sun was out briefly yesterday. That was nice. It's raining now.

PS. I fully support Carfree Day, but it seems like they kind of mailed it in on the logo design. At least it's not a car with a red Ghostbuster thing through it I guess.

Also, that new Zooey Deshanel show is pretty good. She is funny.

Soup Days

2011-09-19T12:11:00.001-06:00

Well, fall has definitely arrived around here, and we've had two different soups to prove it. I made potato soup last week, and Kev made chicken soup over the weekend because Daphne was sick. She loves that soup. She calls it "Daddy's famous chicken noodle soup," even though there are no noodles, and she eats every bite without giving us any dinnertime trouble.

It's been really overcast, and I haven't felt like doing much. I am looking forward to those crisp sunny fall days that make you want to be outside. Lately, I just want to curl up under a blanket and read. Or better yet, sleep. I lost quite a bit of sleep over the weekend, because when Daphne gets sick, no one sleeps very well. But she's on the mend, and there are sunny days to come, and I am sure a new groove is on the horizon.

In other news, I have had my first experience as part of the PTA. I swear I never thought I would end up in a PTA, but here I am. And I am now in charge of the lollipop tree at the school's Fall Harvest Festival. And I think I might end up also being the leader of the Daisy Troop. So, somehow in the matter of one week, I have become all Small-Town-Mom-ified. I fear it's not my scene. Time will tell. Maybe I should do what my friend Jodi said, and drive around listening to the Clash really loud for a while to make myself feel better.

But I think I'll take a nap first.

Monday Again

2011-09-12T14:08:00.000-06:00

Another good weekend is in the books, and another week is underway. Saturday, we tried out the new fancy bowling alley here in town (King Pinz). They have an arcade with games - air hockey, guitar hero, etc. - they have bowling (obviously), and they have surprisingly good food, which they bring to your cushy couch right at your lane. It is a very luxurious bowling experience, much different from the days at Blazer Bowl in Garland. The lanes have big screen TVs, and bumpers that go up or down, depending on whose turn it is. So the bumpers popped up on Daphne's turn, and down when Kev and I bowled. Honestly, I coulda used the bumpers.

After bowling, we went to Pinkberry for a frozen yogurt treat. This place is GOOD. We got there just in time, because by the time we paid for our yogurt, a line had formed all the way out the door and across the big wide sidewalk. I still like ice cream better, but I am a Pinkberry fan.

Sunday morning, Daphne said it looked like a nice day for a family bike ride. So we took a family bike ride. This old barn and silo are on the trail.

Then we went to South Street Under for our post-bike ride ciabatta breakfast sandwiches. It was nice to be outside and not get rained on for once.

Of course, we took a walk last night, and got rained on. Oh well.

On Thursday, the high temperature is supposed to be 64! That is so great.

Also this weekend, we saw a lot of 9/11 stuff on TV. I don't care how long it's been, I'll never get used to seeing that footage. It's always shocking. Every time I see a plane hit one of those buildings, it's like getting punched in the stomach.

It just started raining. Dangit. We almost made it a whole day with no rain.

The pumpkin ravioli filling was terrible, by the way. It was not worthy of going to the trouble of making the pasta, so I didn't. I just threw it out. Yuck. Luckily, we had a bunch of left-over casserole. We finished it off yesterday. It was a very casserole-intensive weekend. This week, there will be soup. Because on Thursday, it will only be 64! Sixty-Four!!!

A very happy birthday to Kim up there on L.I. I hope it's a good one! Please send me a pumpkin ravioli filling recipe if you have a one.

Comfort and Joy

2011-09-09T07:00:00.002-06:00

Well, it's been a long time since I blogged about food. I didn't really do a lot of cooking in August, I guess. But, I got a little money for my birthday, and used some of it to get myself a copy of The Joy of Cooking in hopes that I could use it to learn some of the secrets of the Cooking Universe.

Yesterday was grocery store day, so I decided to try my first recipe from the book. But this is a BIG book. 4500 recipes. Good grief, where do I start?

So, I was flipping through, and then I remembered the shocking statement that Kev made the other day about how my cooking rotation lacks casseroles. WHAT? Casseroles? All this time, I was pretty sure Kev was against gooey comforting things like casseroles. Live and learn. And if Kev wants more casseroles, that's fine by me, because they are EASY and they are good for several meals worth of left-overs.

I found the recipe for Chicken Rice Casserole on page 96. Hmm....sounds pretty good and very simple. So I decided to do some googling to see if others out there had had any luck with this recipe. I came across a blog called "The Joy of the Joy of Cooking," and it turns out that Jessica, the writer of this blog, had tried the recipe. Awesome. Her biggest complaint was that it was bland. And when I looked at the recipe, I wasn't surprised. There was no mention of seasoning of any kind in the recipe. Not even "salt and pepper to taste."

So, I used the recipe as a guide, and added some things. To the melted butter, I added some garlic and diced carrots (and salt!), and cooked that for a minute before adding the mushrooms. I added some fresh thyme. I used long grain and wild rice instead of white. And more salt. And pepper. And, following the snooty foodie advice I read somewhere in the book, I passed on processed store-bought bread crumbs, and made my own. Here is the resulting Chicken Rice Casserole:

And it was good! Not bland at all. My biggest complaint was that it was a little dry. I used whole milk because my grocery store was out of half and half (!?), so it probably took away some of the creaminess I was looking for. But the crunchy bread crumb topping was great, and the overall flavor was good.

Daphne didn't like it. I knew she wouldn't. But at least she tried it. And now I won't have to cook this weekend because Kev and I can have left-over casserole. For every meal! Just kidding, Kev.

Today I am making pumpkin ravioli. It isn't in the book. So I'm winging it. I'll probably use my Giada butternut squash ravioli recipe and just sub in the pumpkin. Daphne's already turning up her nose. She's gonna be eating a lot of Peanut Butter and Banana sandwiches this weekend. That means more raviolis for me and Kev! I won't have to cook again for a week!

The honest truth is, I rarely experience the Joy of Cooking. Sometimes I enjoy it, but mostly, it's just a chore. But I regularly DO experience the Joy of Eating, and since I am the one who cooks most of what I eat, I might as well do it well.

I've heard good things about the brownies in the book. Maybe that'll be next. But now, it's off to experience the Joy of Laundry. Have a good Friday.

Rainy Weekend

2011-09-06T05:30:00.002-06:00

You know it was a pretty good weekend when there was splashing in puddles, a birthday party, a cookout, a movie date, lobster bisque, apple pie, homemade ice cream, a finished book, Star Trek night, Jamaica Jerk Chicken, and a couple feet of knitted scarf.* And new shoes!

*18 more inches and this will be done and I can start my sweater.

Vacation Part 4 - Food, Field Trip, and the Fair

2011-09-01T16:06:00.004-06:00

One day, we decided to take a break from all the relaxing at the lake, so we went on a little field trip. First stop, the Village of Red Hook, where we had lunch at Lucy's Taco. If we had read the really really bad reviews, we might not have gone there. Apparently, people think it is so bad that there is a whole Facebook page about how bad it is (click the Lucy's link above). The food was pretty meh. It wasn't the worst, but it wasn't great. It was really really messy and greasy. But I loved Lucy's Taco, because the minute we walked in, it was like we had been magically transported to Austin. The dude at the counter was Austin. The other customers were Austin (girls with no makeup and long flowy skirts, head scarves, vintage thrift dresses), and the decor was totally Austin. It made me happy/sad. So, thanks, Lucy's, for the trip back home and the mediocre lunch. Try to make better tacos. Then again, you're in New York. So good luck with that.

(On the other hand, I had the best barbeque I've had since leaving Texas in the same village, at Max's Memphis Barbeque. Holy meat! And, there were GRITS! Go there if you can.)

After Lucy's, we decided to take Daphne to see the Saugerties light house. You have to hike in to it, which was fun.

You can stay there overnight, because it is also a B&B, but I don't think I would like hiking in with my suitcase. Still, it might be kinda cool. It's expensive, though, and usually booked up far in advance.

It has a little beach, where I guess you can swim if you want. We watched some dogs chase tennis balls. Daphne liked that.

Our last day of vacation just happened to be the first day of the Dutchess County Fair, which has become a staple of our summers. We had our annual milkshakes:

Went on the Fun Slide:

Watched the Frisbee Dogs:

And generally had a great day with our good friends, Nate, Angela, and their cool kids. I love the Dutchess County Fair. And this year, it wasn't hot. It was perfect. A great way to end an awesome vacation.

I was telling Kev that we need to find our own fair. We went to our local county fair a couple years ago, but it was really rinky-dink, plus we had a...um...situation. I don't think we'll be going back to that one.

Nothing will ever top the Great State Fair of Texas. And the Dutchess County one will be hard to beat. But I just found out about the Frederick Fair, and it looks pretty promising. It is coming up in a couple of weeks, and I am hoping to go. There will be a full report if we do.

The first week of school seems to be going well. Daphne seems happy and I think she's making friends. She doesn't really tell us too much. I plan to volunteer in the classroom, so maybe then I'll find out more. I just hope I don't run into Newman, the nemisis mommy. I was reading the giant pile of handouts from the school, and it appears that school volunteers have to get a tuberculin test. I am not looking forward to that, but I'll do what I have to do I guess. I've been enjoying my free time while Daphne is at school. I've been working out, and shopping, and cleaning, and knitting. I need to make a list and get going on some projects. Plenty of time for all that.

OK...dinner duty calls. Leftover beef and noodles. Woohoo!

I Don't Get It

2011-08-31T07:03:00.000-06:00

Jimmy Buffet
Bruce Springsteen
Lady Gaga
Vera Bradley
Dancing with the Stars
Las Vegas
Starbucks
Low Pants
Florida
Twilight

Vacation Part 3 - Elizaville

2011-08-31T06:25:00.001-06:00

From Hyde Park, we went to Elizaville and spent several days at The Lake Place. There was swimming:

There was rowing:

There were cousins and fishing:

For me, there was a lot of down time. I did some knitting and reading and general sitting around. I saw cool birds. I played board games with my family. And we had a lot of morning boat rides. I miss the morning boat rides.

Today is the last day of August. I can't believe what a great month it has been. August is usually my least favorite month, but thanks to delightful weather (sorry, Texas), a really good birthday, visitors, and a fun vacation, this has been a great one. I predict I'll need a sweater in the next couple of weeks. Bring it on.

West Virginia has Problems

2011-08-30T06:15:00.002-06:00

There are some good things about West Virginia. It's a really pretty state to drive through in the fall. It has a beautiful capitol building with a shining golden dome. When I was a kid, my grandparents moved to Huntington, WV (home of the original Jamie Oliver Food Revolution show because it was deemed the unhealthiest city in America), so we used to visit there a lot. It didn't seem too bad at the time. But then, I grew up and moved to Virginia, and have since had a series of bad experiences there. We always drive through on the way to and from Indiana, and it seems to coincide with eating time. There's never a good meal to be had in West Virginia. Don't get me started on the disappointment of Biscuit World. Even places I love and trust, like Panera Bread, are bad in West Virginia.

We had a pretty good time in Harper's Ferry, once we got to the town, but the drive in was a little dicey. After crossing the state line, we saw, and I am not exaggerating, at least 10 people before we saw someone wearing a shirt. (Cue "Dueling Banjos")

Anyway, West Virginia has problems. And last night, Kev was reading Mental Floss and came across an item about the West Virgina Road-Kill Cook-Off and Harvest Festival. What? I looked it up, and it's a real thing. The main ingredient in the cook-off has to be a critter that is often found on the side of the road, like 'possom. (Sorry, Pancho). As Kev said, W Va isn't doing itself any favors. There is even a Ms. Road-Kill Pageant! Can you imagine the winner of THAT? Good grief. I am at a rare loss for words.

I will still drive through West Virginia, especially in the fall, but I am never EVER going to eat there again.

First Days

2011-08-29T14:59:00.000-06:00

Preschool 3s, Preschool 4s, and Kindergarten

First Day of Kindergarten

2011-08-29T14:35:00.002-06:00

A few pictures, then lunch on the porch.

A few minutes on the swing.

Then, down to the sidewalk to wait...

...for the bus!

A quick wave, and off she went.

And I was fine. I went straight to Curves to work out, and then to lunch which probably cancelled out any and all benefits of my workout. She said she had a great day. I'm glad. I think we'll both have a good year.

Vacation - Part 2 - Hyde Park

2011-08-29T06:10:00.002-06:00

From Strasburg, we drove up to Hyde Park, NY to see Kev's parents. It was so nice out that we decided to take a walk (or in Daphne's case, a scoot) over the Hudson River on the old rail bridge, which has been fixed up for that purpose.

When we got back to the house, we ordered my favorite bbq chicken wrap from Coco's and had a little birthday celebration. It has become tradition that Kev's mom gets me a watermelon cake from Friendly's for my birthday every year. So good.

As we sat down to eat the cake, who showed up but this BARRED OWL!!!!!

See him there, blending in with the tree? You can click the picture if you want to make him bigger. It was so dang cool. Only my second owl sighting ever, and this was a really good one. He sat there for a long time, letting us take pictures of him before he flew off into the woods.

On a similar evening in 2005, certain Long Island mischief makers made fake owl sounds and tossed stuffed owls at me on the porch of this same house in Hyde Park. This real owl was much better. But I wish they had been there to see him too.

I did not experience any lost time, and could not find any evidence of probes. So I'm putting it in my bird log as a real sighting and not an alien mind trick.

Also on this trip, we saw a green heron and a pileated woodpecker and a family of wild turkeys. My interest in bird-watching has been rekindled. Hooray for vacation!

Coming soon: Wake Fun.

What I Did on my Summer Vacation - Part 1

2011-08-28T15:18:00.003-06:00

Today in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, it was beautiful out, so we walked to the hot dog place for lunch, got a drink at Shoes, and went to the Tally Ho to see Mister Popper's Penguins, which was surprisingly not bad. A pretty good way to spend the last day of summer break, as school starts tomorrow. I can't believe summer is almost over.

As promised, here are a few pictures from our vacation, at least from the first day, which we spent in Strasburg, PA.

In Strasburg, PA, you can sleep in a caboose. We slept in "Alaska," pictured below. It was by no means luxurious, but it was clean and comfortable, and very super cool if you are a five year old kid.

The motel grounds have about three playgrounds, some farm animals, Amish buggy rides, and a big silo that you can climb up in and see miles and miles of Pennsylvania.

Daphne got to sleep in the top bunk of a bunk bed in the caboose.

We rode a cool old steam train. Daphne took this one:

And in the morning, we ate in the motel dining car. I highly recommend Strasburg as a weekend vacation destination. So much fun. Here's a tip: Only order ONE pancake. They are bigger than the plates.

Occasionally, I have one of those happy moments when all is right with the world and everything is perfect. This happened in Strasburg on the first night of vacation, when our little family huddled outside under a blanket and watched "Meet the Robinsons," which was projected onto the side of the barn at the motel. It was cold out (in AUGUST!) and there was a big full moon. It was pretty awesome.

Vacations are good. Tales from NY coming soon.

Dress Rehearsal

2011-08-26T13:14:00.000-06:00

Dear Blog,

I'm back. It was a long couple of weeks with almost no internet access. But I survived. There is a lot to tell about my time away (including an OWL SIGHTING!), but it will have to wait a bit, because I want to talk about yesterday first. Yesterday was Daphne's Kindergarten Orientation. Kev and I took her to meet her teacher and see her classroom. The kids stayed in the room and did some coloring and stories and stuff, while the parents went to the cafeteria to learn about How to Send Your Kids to Kindergarten. There is a lot to know about Kindergarten! More than I ever thought. We got a huge envelope full of paperwork to read and some forms to fill out. It was overwhelming. I didn't make any new friends, and I already have a Nemesis Mommy. I don't know her name, so I am going to call her "Newman." She is a horrible horrible lady. Things can hopefully only get better.

Meanwhile, Daphne seemed to enjoy it pretty much. She came home with a picture she colored of a raccoon on a school bus, and a lot of black play-doh under her fingernails. A sign of good times.

I am not ready for Daphne to go to Kindergarten, but she is.

Tune in Monday, when I have to put her on the school bus and let her go. Good grief. There's gonna need to be a lot of chocolate around here to get me through that day.

On a happier note, you may notice Daphne's new pink western boots! She got them at the Dutchess County Fair in New York on Tuesday. We spent most of our vacation in New York. Who would have thought Daphne would get cowgirl boots in New York? But she did. And we also had some decent tacos there AND the best barbecue I've had since we left Texas. Go figure. But more on the trip later. Daphne's preschool teacher is coming for a visit this afternoon, and I have a bit more tidying up to do.

Until I can write again, here is a vacation blog preview photo:

Ah. Serenity now.

Unplugged

2011-08-14T13:11:00.001-06:00

Well, today was Birthday, Part 2. My mom and dad came up, and Kev and Daphne made us all a delicious breakfast. It was a nice day. A good way to end a good weekend that included a family bike ride and breakfast at South Street Under.

There are only 2 more weeks until school starts, and I am going to go unplugged and spend some quality time with my family. I will continue to take a photo each day, but I probably won't post until I get back on line. So, I'll be back in a week or so with hopefully something interesting to write about. Enjoy the last days of summer, and I'll see you soon.

A Very Good Birthday

2011-08-12T07:27:00.002-06:00

So, I got my birthday pizza at the end of a very very good long day. It started at 2:10 am, when Daphne woke up crying because she was all stuffy. I helped her blow her nose - problem solved. But the weird thing is, I was born at 2:10 am, so I was awakened at the exact moment my birthday officially began.

Gifts were sprinkled throughout the day, starting in the morning with a really pretty wooden salad bowl and utensil set from Kev. I love wooden bowls, so this was very exciting. And I promised there would be more salad in our lives, even though the bowl is almost too pretty to use.

Next, Daphne and I went to Manassas, where we picked up my dad and went to visit my mom at the YARN SHOP where she works. She bought me some birthday yarn, with which I intend to knit a cardigan using the new skills I learned from Emily while she was here. This is going to be the Autumn of Knitting. And perhaps pie and fresh pasta. But definitely knitting.

Then, we went to lunch with my dad, and got to see the art studio where he has his painting class. It was cool. His teacher is really nice and really good, and my dad's painting skills just keep getting better and better. After lunch, I got to go hang out with Albert the good dog for a little while, which was fun. And Daphne got some playtime with Grandpa, so everyone was happy.

Back at home, we sat on the porch for the first time in a LONG time, and waited for Kev to get home. He and Daphne started the evening's birthday festivities with a Happy Birthday ukulele duet. Daphne gave me a book that she wrote about an owl family. She made up the story and dictated it to Kev, who wrote the words. Then she illustrated it. It's awesome.

Kev got me a Ray LaMontagne record I've been wanting, a book with all the 2005 posts from this blog - more on that later - and a new awesome camera! Woohoo! Mine has been on the fritz for a while now, and I was worried I wouldn't be able to complete my 365 project. No worries now! I can't wait to use it. Plus he got me a VERY stylish camera bag, handmade from this great shop.

We walked to Fireworks for dinner. So I got my pizza. And Daphne got pizza too! She ordered hers with apples, pineapples, chicken, and green peppers, NO sauce, and NO cheese. She ate it up and told the guy it was the best pizza she's ever had. So hooray for Fireworks for having great food and flexible chefs.

Cookie sundae for dessert. Doesn't get much better than that. And if that wasn't enough, the celebration continues on Sunday, when my family is coming up from Manassas for a breakfast cooked by Kev and Daphne. A very good birthday for sure. I don't even mind that I'm older. Thanks, everybody.

A Very Texas Weekend

2011-08-10T10:25:00.005-06:00

Our visit with our friends from Texas went by way too quickly. Hikes were taken. Beavers were found.

Good food was eaten with nice people in cool places.

Pies were made and eaten. Pie-making secrets were learned.

The kids seemed to have a really good time. They played music. They built forts. They dressed up in costumes. They picked carrots and peppers and tomatoes. They watched movies and ate s'mores. They got along.

And I got to visit with two of my very favorite people. We went for a really nice dinner at the Wine Kitchen and dessert at Tuskies. We ate pie. We watched Project Runway together. We talked. We knitted. So great. I miss them already.

We will be taking a trip to Texas. Like maybe in February when we're sick of winter and need some sunshine. I hope Emily is finished with all of her rooms by then. Or at least the guest room.

Tomorrow is my birthday. I am trying to decide what to do (eat). I think I want something I usually never get to have, like pizza or macaroni and cheese. I will let you know what I decide. Off to deal with Daphne, who is going through withdrawal. She is having a hard time adjusting to having no other kids in the house. At the moment, she is flopping on the couch and whimpering. "I don't know what to DO." Good grief.

Naughty and Nice

2011-08-03T07:19:00.004-06:00

Yesterday, I let Daphne play in the attic. Alone. I was doing some cleaning, and then I sat down to finish knitting a scarf I started way last winter. My knitting chair is right at the bottom of the attic stairs, and I was keeping an ear on the Peanut. It got quiet. REALLY quiet. Then, she called, "Mom! You should SEE this! You're gonna LOVE it!"

Uh-oh.

I went to the attic, which she had "decorated" for our house guests. And by "decorated" I mean "destroyed." OK, destroy may be a little strong. But do you see that evil feather boa in the picture above? Well, imagine about a million tiny feathers strewn about all over the entire attic. They were EVERYwhere. It was like a bunch of angry pink and yellow birds went up there to explode. I think I got most of them cleaned up, but I had to empty out the vacuum filter thing three times. I think we're going to be finding stray feathers for a long time. It is about 10 degrees hotter in the attic than in the rest of the house. I was hot and sweaty from all the vacuuming and going up and down the steps. And I got really sneezy. I didn't really yell too much, but Daphne knew I was mad. Poor kid. She went and hid in her room. She felt awful. She was, after all, just trying to make things festive for her friends. But she should have known better. Needless to say, the feather boa is now in the trash. And Daphne doesn't get to play in the attic until tomorrow when our friends come. Now, all is forgiven. I think the guilt she felt was punishment enough. But what a mess.

In happier news, yesterday I was cleaning under my desk and I found a nickel and a penny. Woo-hoo! Straight to the Nantucket jar I went with my six cents. And when I opened it, I found that some sort of Vacation Jar Fairy had poured a bunch of spare change in there, along with this fortune cookie fortune. There is almost $30 in there now! I like Kev.

OK. Yesterday I made ravioli filling, so today i need to make the pasta. And do a bunch of laundry so I don't have to do it this weekend. Visitors tomorrow! Yay!

Toys in the Attic

2011-08-01T12:53:00.004-06:00

Another weekend came and went at the speed of sound. Friday night, Daphne spent the night in Manassas, and Kev and I went to see Crazy Stupid Love at the fancy new Cobb movie theater here in town. First, the movie was GREAT. You really can't go wrong with Steve Carell. Second, the movie theater is great. You can get real food and adult beverages if you choose, and take them into the theater. It's not as good as Studio Movie Grill, but it's the closest thing I've seen anywhere around here. And the seats are wide with plenty of leg room. Awesome. After the movie, we went to the new Irish bar and grill - Finnegan's - and listened to a band. It was a good night out.

But the rest of the weekend was work. It was all about home improvements. A few pictures were hung.

Kev cleaned out his side of the closet (top) and it is so nice now. There is plenty of room to walk around without tripping over bins or bags of stuff. We also got the attic cleaned up and made part of it into a play area for Daphne. We put all of her dress-up stuff up there, so now she can do plays and puppet shows and whatever she wants without tripping over bins or bags of stuff. We have a lot more to do, but it's a good start, and Daphne LOVES it.

Where's Waldo?

It will be a great place to play when we have kids over, which we will later this week when MY FRIENDS COME FROM TEXAS!!! WOOHOO!!! So, I need to get going because there are preparations to make. Hope you had a good weekend. Happy August! (The worst month of the year, but it means September is coming).

Hot Hot Weekend

2011-07-26T13:19:00.002-06:00

This weekend it was hot. Luckily, there was a birthday party on Saturday at the ice rink. So much fun. And it was cold in there. I want to go again.

There was also Sunday brunch at the Market Table Bistro in Lovettsville. Notice the little hand above that cannot resist the plate of sweet bread long enough for me to take a picture. Great food, great service. I highly recommend it. They even have a little herb garden in the back. Daphne took our picture there.

There were also the long-awaited toasted marshmallow milkshakes. I have to say it was a bit of a let-down. WAY too sweet. I think I should have used fewer marshmallows and really burned them to get the charred taste. Live and learn. That being said, we all three drank them all up. And they looked really pretty.

We are into Week 2 of Summer Camp now, and I am continuing the pursuit of Total Home Organization. I organized the bathroom closet and threw away a giant bag of expired medicine and old half-empty bottles of hotel sample-size shampoos and lotions. It looks so much better, and it's much easier to find stuff in there now. If only the towels matched.

And I have also been working on the sitting room mantle. I think I like it. I want to light the candles tonight and see how it looks. It's definitely an improvement. I am thinking I'd like to have a small rug in there, and a floor lamp. And if Kev can fix the fireplace pilot light thing, there will be some knitting by the fire getting done this winter. Woohoo!

I went to a card-making class with my friend Suzanne last night (thank you Suzanne!). It was really fun. I sort of got into a groove while I was there and it was very relaxing. So I was awake early this morning thinking about card design ideas. I wish my brain had an OFF switch sometimes.

Three more days of camp, and I'm not sure how to spend them. I'll figure something out.

Project Runway starts Thursday! And friends from Texas arrive NEXT Thursday! And my birthday is coming. And New York. It's gonna be a Big August.

Progress

2011-07-22T14:10:00.001-06:00

I'm not completely finished, but things are coming together in the sitting room and the bedroom closet. I need some mantle inspiration. And Kev's side of the closet needs help. But all in all, I am happy with the progress I've made this week.

So, I sat down in my chair, on the hottest day of the year so far (102, heat index 112), and I knit. Just working in a little fun.

Summer Camp Continued...

2011-07-21T15:21:00.002-06:00

Well, it's hot. Just really really hot. The kind of hot where it's hard to breathe. But life goes on, and we're almost half-way through summer camp now. Daphne has been having a blast in spite of the heat. She's made some new friends and gotten to do arts and crafts and play outside and inside and at the pool. Why, oh why don't they make Adult Summer Camp? I would totally go. She comes home exhausted and has taken a nap every day this week, except today because we had a playdate with one of her friends from swimming after camp. That means an early bedtime tonight. And that probably means a Star Trek episode for me and Kev. Yay.

In the meantime, I have been kicking some major clutter butt. Thanks to Emily for continued inspiration, and thanks to my recent ~~mania~~ groove, I knocked out that bookshelf project quickly, and I am on my way to having a really organized bedroom closet and a new and improved sitting room. I will post pictures when it's all done. Kev said I should be doing more things that are "fun," but I am actually enjoying getting some cleaning accomplished.

I have been working in a little fun, too. I went shopping yesterday and got a new shirt, skirt, and pair of jeans. So that was good. I am trying to be a more mindtful shopper. It isn't easy. But I try to imagine that Stacy and Clinton are with me, and that helps a little. I don't like shopping at the mall, though. Yesterday I had a hard time finding things I liked. I saw a lot of UGLY ugly clothes. I always see the coolest stuff on line, but none of it was anywhere at the mall. Buying clothes on line is a beating though, because you never really know if it will fit or if it is made well.

Like this dress, for example. I found it on line. So cute. But, I can't try it on. And it could be really cheaply made. I guess I could always send things back if I don't like them, but that is a pain. But it probably beats spending time at the mall. I don't know. Maybe I'll do an experimental online clothing purchase and see what happens.

So, maybe the shopping yesterday wasn't exactly "fun." But I did have fun going out to dinner with a couple of friends last night. And I got to go work out today. And there has been a lot of iced coffee. So, it hasn't been ALL cleaning. Maybe next week, I'll sew or knit something. But I won't beat myself up if I don't get to it. Daphne will be starting school soon, and I'll have more time for such things then. And I will have a nice neat happy place to sit while I do them.

Tomorrow is Friday. I think I will keep plugging away on the closet, but it shouldn't take much longer. Maybe I'll try to work in some reading. That would be fun.

Project #1 - Check

2011-07-18T09:28:00.005-06:00

Well, it's sorta hard to take a good photo in a narrow hallway, but as you can see, I made some changes to the little built-in shelf thing in the upstairs hallway. I think it's better. Definitely more inspired. Someday when Kev recovers from the weekend, it would be nice to paint the hall. Or at least hang some pictures on it. But, one thing at a time. Project 1 is done, and I still have 30 minutes before my Daphne's first day of camp is over. What will I do tomorrow?

Summer Camp Project #1

2011-07-17T20:54:00.001-06:00

Our upstairs hallway has this little built-in shelf thing on the wall. I remember when we looked at the house, I thought, "Cool! A little built-in shelf thing!" Then, we moved in, and as we unpacked, we just sorta stuck a bunch of pictures on it. Good pictures of people we like, mind you, but the whole thing was really uninspired. Yesterday, I saw this picture in Real Simple magazine, and decided that Project #1 during Daphne's summer camp is to re-do that shelf.

I will let you know how it turns out. Perhaps there will be at least one mason jar.

Nantucket update: The jar now has $8.36! Kev said that's enough for a Nantucket souvenir snow globe.

During the weekend, Kev painted the TV room. It is sort of a leathery coffee-ish color, and I LOVE it. My job was to keep Daphne entertained for two days away from her favorite room in the house. Kev said next weekend is going to be a Weekend of Fun. I hope so.

OK, I am off to sleep and to make a mental list of Summer Camp project goals. I will try to post them in the next day or two if I get them written down. But one goal is to spend less time on the computer, so we'll see.

PS. I am totally rooting for Susie on Food Network Star. She is the best one. Project Runway starts soon! Woohoo!

Daphne Claire Goes to Washington

2011-07-16T13:22:00.001-06:00

Yesterday, I decided to take Daphne to Washington D.C. on the train by myself. There we are, above, on the Orange Metro line from Vienna. Things could have gone horribly horribly wrong. But they didn't. We had a pretty great day out aside from some complaining about walking and some silliness at lunch. And the weather was unusually cool and delightful. We got lucky. It's hot today.

We visited the Air and Space Museum first. We got to see some cool old planes and a Mars rover, Daphne touched a moon rock, and we rode in a Space Shuttle Simulator all the way to the ISS for a space walk and back. I sort of prefer the museum on the Mall to the one out here by Dulles airport. But we didn't get to see much of it before it was time to meet Uncle Jeff for lunch.

Because of the complaining, we decided to take a taxi to the restaurant on Capitol Hill. This was Daphne's first cab ride, and she thought it was the Coolest Thing Ever because she didn't have to ride in a car seat. We went to the Good Stuff Eatery, which is one of Top Chef contestant Spike Mendelsohn's restaurants. The line was ridiculous and the food took forever, but I will tell you this was one of the best burgers I have ever had in my life. Totally worth the wait. And to go with it, we had awesome fries with thyme and rosemary and sea salt, and a toasted marshmallow milkshake, which was pretty amazing. ( I am going to attempt to make this at home - I found a recipe on line right here (notice they are in mason jars!).)

After lunch, we got to see Jeff's office in the Department of Health and Human Services building, which is also home to the Voice of America radio stations, so we watched some of the broadcasters there. Very cool. So, thanks for the tour, Uncle Jeff. Daphne has been playing with her eagles non-stop since we got home.

After we left Jeff's building, we crossed the Mall to go to the Natural History Museum. Daphne stopped for a photo op:

Our feet were killing us both by then, so a nice man directed us to the Sculpture Garden at the National Gallery to stick them in the fountain for some relief. This may have been my favorite part of the day that wasn't food.

No wading allowed in the fountain, by the way! But just sitting there sticking our feet in did wonders for our physical and mental states. At the Natural History Museum, we checked out the dinosaurs as always, and then saw a cool 3D IMAX about orphaned elephants and orangutans. Then it was time to head back home on Metro. Daphne wanted to stand up and hold the pole. That lasted about one stop.

So, overall, I'd call the day a success, and I will definitely do it again. It would have been more fun with Kev, but I really wanted to prove to myself that I could do it solo. And it was easy. No problem.

Kev is painting the TV room today. It's very exciting. I hope he can finish it up so we can have some family time tomorrow. We'll be watching the Women's World Cup Final. Then, Daphne's summer camp starts Monday. I will have three hours a day all to myself for two weeks. And I still haven't figured out a plan. Maybe that's what I should be doing now. Um...gotta go! Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Not About Food

2011-07-13T13:00:00.002-06:00

So, last night, while I was enjoying an episode of Eat Streets, it was brought to my attention that there is too much about food. At our house, I cook food, I read blogs about food, I take pictures of food, I blog my own blog about food, and I watch food shows. In response, I said, "That's ALL I GOT, man!" And that isn't entirely true, but sometimes it feels like it is. I spend a lot of time puttering around in the kitchen. So, today, I am going to try to focus on other things. Don't get your hopes up that it will be very interesting, though.

OK. Um...let's see...

Mason jars! Right now, I am really into mason jars. I think they are cool. I even went down into the scary basement to get one for my afternoon glass of iced coffee. (Does iced coffee count as talking about food?) I intend to incorporate more mason jars into my daily life.

Music. I really like the Decemberists lately. We listened to them a lot during our drive to and from Indiana. The singer's accent makes me a little crazy at times, though. But they are still good. There's another group called The Civil Wars that I like too. Did you hear that Morrissey got attacked by a dog?! That should inspire some good lyrics!

I think "Shore Leave" is my least favorite episode of Star Trek. We are half-way through our Season One box set. Spock is awesome. Dr. McCoy wears too much eye makeup. I used to think Star Trek was silly, but now I really like it a lot.

We just had a nice big rain storm here. Too bad my car windows are down.

I took Daphne to a puppet show at the library yesterday. She loved it. I decided I would be pretty happy if I never ever saw another puppet show ever again. Unless it was the Muppets.

In other Daphne news, she went to an art class with her former preschool teacher and drew and colored that Fish picture over there on the sidebar. I really like it. I think we're going to frame it and hang it in the playroom. Her artwork is not typically so colorful, so this was a nice surprise.

I am getting in the mood to knit something. Perhaps during Summer Camp.

Well, that's about all I have. I am now going to leave the kitchen. Perhaps I'll clean something.

M.Y.O.P.

2011-07-11T10:04:00.004-06:00

Daphne doesn't like pizza. She doesn't like anything with "melty cheese." I guess it's not that big of a deal. But I like pizza, and Kev likes pizza, and we never get to have it. And Daphne is always getting invited to birthday parties where there is pretty much always pizza. So, it would be nice if she actually at least sorta liked it.

Yesterday, in an attempt to send her down the pizza-liking path, we decided to have Family Make Your Own Pizza Day. Everyone got to choose their toppings and make their own personal pizza. Daphne wanted hers with chicken, barbeque sauce, and celery (!?). And NO CHEESE. We talked her out of the celery, so she added pineapple and prosciutto, and basil and yellow pepper (from the garden!).

Kev helped her roll out her crust, and then she started adding toppings:

Here it is, ready to go into the oven:

And here it is, all done!

And with that, the kid who doesn't like pizza ate pizza for dinner. Yes! She wasn't crazy about the sauce, but she managed to work around it and still eat most of the two slices we put on her plate. I wonder if you can order pizza with no sauce and no cheese at Fireworks. That would be nice.

Indiana

2011-07-09T20:24:00.000-06:00

Well, last night we made it safely back home from our week in Indiana. We had an action-packed trip which included two impressive backyard fireworks shows, a 4th of July family reunion swimming party and cookout, a pedicure, two trips to the Zesto, one trip to Pizza King, visits with relatives we don't get to see often enough, and a Big Day Out at Holiday World (formerly Santa Claus Land) in Santa Claus, Indiana, which is quite possibly the best amusement park I've ever been to. There are MANY pictures from the trip on Flickr. Lots of fun. Thanks to all the people who helped make it such a good trip.

Now, it's time to try to get back into some sort of groove. It's never easy after a vacation, but I am determined. One week until summer camp starts, and I need to get organized.

But first, I need a good long night's sleep. It's good to be home.

Half-Way There

2011-07-01T14:42:00.001-06:00

Well, 2011 is half-way over. Hard to believe. There have been highlights, including a weekend with Kev in DC, Easter in NY, sledding, Daphne's birthday and preschool graduation, homemade ravioli and boeuf bourguignon, Elvis Costello, berry-picking adventures, going to see the Rangers, watching the Mavs win the championship, and eating meals on the porch. There have been accomplishments like getting several rooms in the house painted, getting a new couch, cooking more with Daphne, remembering to take a picture every single day so far, reading more often, and Daphne sort of learning to swim. There have been low-lights, like ants, squirrels in the wall, and my uncle's accident. There are things I didn't get to do, like knitting and sewing. But there is still half a year to go to do that. And there is a lot to look forward to in the second half, so bring it on.

I'll be back after our trip with tales from the 4th of July, Indiana style. Have a good and safe week, and please don't do stupid stuff with your fireworks. You'll shoot your eye out!

You Win Some, You Lose Some

2011-06-30T06:36:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, we attempted two recipes: Blueberry-Lemon Bread, and homemade tortillas.

Daphne helped with the tortillas, and they were fun to make, but they didn't turn out very good. They were not pretty or golden. They were edible, but just barely. Daphne liked eating them right away, plain and warm.
We were supposed to use them to make quesadillas for dinner, but that clearly wasn't going to work, so I made them into chicken and cheese tostadas:

They weren't terrible. I am going to research this whole tortilla thing and try again sometime.

I had better luck with the blueberry lemon bread, which was more like a pound cake. This recipe was easy and very tasty.

It was a nice treat after the whole tortilla espisode. We had it for dessert with a little whipped cream. I needed to use up the last of our blueberries, and this was a good way to do it. The lemon is what made it so good. I recommend this one.

Meanwhile, summer is still going pretty well. It hasn't been too hot. And Daphne has been doing really well at swimming lessons. We are going to SwimKids swim school, and it is GREAT. She has learned more in seven days there than she did in a whole year at her once a week lessons at school. She started last Monday at Level One (kids who won't really put their faces in) and now she's about to graduate to Level 5 (she can almost practically sorta swim).

They break the levels into realistic achievable goals, and the kids are motivated with a certificate and a choice from the treasure box when they pass each level. Daphne even got a postcard in the mail from her coach when she passed to Level 4. Today is the last day, and I'm hoping she gets a treasure. She has one more skill to do to get to Level 5. I hope we can get her in for more lessons later this summer while she has momentum. I really can't believe how well she is doing. I'm proud of her.

I can't believe this is the last day of June! Summer is flying by so far. Next week, Daphne and I are going to Indiana with G-Ma and Uncle Jeff for the 4th of July. It should be a lot of fun. We're having a big cookout for the 4th, and we'll be celebrating three of my Uncles' birthdays, including Danny's, who is doing REALLY well. We are also planning to try to take the kids to Holiday World in Santa Claus, Indiana. SANTA CLAUS! That's the name of the town! Daphne is going to be so excited. I haven't told her yet in case we don't get to go. Sadly, Kev and G-Pa won't be able to go with us. I wish they could.

Well, the breakfast dishes aren't going to do themselves. I'm off to have a Thursday. I hope yours is good!

Monday - Beans and Insight

2011-06-28T07:21:00.000-06:00

Last night, we had Daphne's farmer's market yellow beans. I let her snap off the ends.

Then I steamed them and added some basil and garlic oil. They were not bad, and Daphne ate them up.

So, the farmer's market experiment was very successful. At least this time.

My friend Emily pointed out that maybe the same strategies I'm using on Daphne actually worked on me, although it was accidental. I was, for most of my life, a VERY ~~picky~~ selective eater. (Selective sounds so much better, don't you think?) When I got married and had to start cooking things besides rice and frozen waffles, I pretty much HAD to start trying new things. It was a slow process, but I eat a much larger variety of things than I used to, and I'm not quite as reluctant to try things. There are things from my previous "bad list" that I love now, like mushrooms and eggplant and oatmeal, for example. There are things that I tolerate now, like asparagus and green peppers and onions. I eat salad now. And I like it. That's a big thing. You can ask Kev. Still, though, there are things I just can't like no matter how many times and different ways I've tried. Like tomatoes. I just don't like them. I want to like them, but I don't. But at least I've tried. I even tried one of my kryptonites - mustard - recently. It was disgusting, but I tried it. Anyway, the point Emily was making, and she's probably right, is that just being more invested in the choosing and cooking of foods has made me more adventurous about it. So, thanks, Kev. If it wasn't for you, I'd probably still be ordering sesame chicken from the New Big Wong every Wednesday and having cereal for dinner a couple times a week. Not that there's anything wrong with cereal for dinner. But maybe not a couple times a week.

Scenes from the Weekend

2011-06-27T06:18:00.008-06:00

We didn't stray too far from home this weekend, and it was nice.

We tried to put our farmer's market items and recent haul of blueberries to good use.

Friday, we had cherries with vanilla whipped cream for dessert. Simple and so good.

Saturday night, we had dinner with friends. There was delicious grilled meat and corn on the cob. You can't beat fresh corn in the summertime. AND there was homemade oreo ice cream. Yep.

Sunday morning, there were blueberry pancakes (Kerbey Lane!). Banana ones for Daphne. For some reason, she's against the blueberry ones. Especially when she's in a mood.

After breakfast, Kev took Daphne on a nice long hike to improve her mood:

and so I could have some time to tackle this:

The office before (above) was a disorganized disaster with piles of stuff everywhere.

The office after (below) is nice and neat.

Now that I can get to my desk, I have big plans. I have decided that when Daphne has summer camp in July, I am going to have my own summer camp here at home. But more on that later.

I also cleaned out Daphne's closet this weekend, and started working on the closet in the master bathroom. Thanks to Emily's awesome blog for the great inspiration.

Sunday night, there was grilled meat:

and roasted summer vegetables:

All of the food we ate last night came from the Farmer's Market. That makes me happy.

So it was a good weekend of food and cleaning. Daphne tried a couple new foods, and the house is getting in shape. Now it's Monday. I'm eating breakfast:

and a bunny just hopped past the window.

It's quiet here. Daphne is still asleep. And my coffee tastes extra good for some reason.

So, time to get back to the routine. Laundry, errands, swimming lessons, and so forth. But I intend to spend a little time at my desk today. Because I can.

Now That's-a Ravioli!

2011-06-24T13:14:00.008-06:00

I finally made ravioli. It was a team effort and a long process.

On Wednesday afternoon, I made the chicken marsala filling.

On Wednesday evening, Kev got out the pasta-making equipment and we decided to try it out.

We ended up with stiff but useable dough and made enough pasta sheets to make about 20 ravioli.

Then, the dough dried out. D'oh! You've got to keep it covered. And the recipe didn't call for olive oil. It clearly needed olive oil. Live and learn.

We let Daphne knead some dough (if the cook it, they will eat it).

Here comes the first pasta sheet:

On Thursday morning, I made more dough. I added olive oil this time and kept it covered.

That's it in the top picture up there. It worked out much better.

I filled the sheets with the filling:

and I let Daphne do the pressing (if they cook it, etc.):

Voila! The ravioli!

(Is there an Italian phrase like"voila"?)

With the extra dough, I made some fettuccine noodles:

I made them into nests and froze them for later:

Last night, I made the mushroom cream sauce.

Here it is, all put together:

Kev's first word after tasting it was "wow."

Daphne didn't want to eat it. Of course. She pushed her chair away from the table. So, Kev and I ignored her and started talking about how good it was and what a good chef Daphne was because she helped make it after all. Next thing I knew, she tried it, loved it, and asked for more.

At dinner, there was a long discussion about a variety of possible ravioli fillings for next time. Nutella was mentioned. More than once.

There will be a lot more ravioli in our future.

I TOTALLY recommend the filling and sauce recipes. Thank you, Tyler Florence.

And I recommend the KitchenAid pasta attachment and the Norpro ravioli press. Both work very well, and it's a very easy process once you get the hang of it. It was very silly of me to fear the ravioli.

I can now check "make ravioli" off my list.

This morning, Daphne and I made an impromptu visit to Eagle Tree for more blueberries.

Some are in the freezer. Some will be put in Sunday morning pancakes. I still haven't made my favorite blueberry pudding cake. Some, we'll just eat. Maybe I don't hate summer after all. Check with me in August.

This afternoon, I emailed the Chambers of Commerce of several east coast towns, including Nantucket, to ask for travel guides and brochures. I must not hate summer TOO much, because I'm already thinking ahead to the next one.

The Farmer's Market Experiment

2011-06-22T20:34:00.003-06:00

Aaahh. Here is Daphne, trying a new food and giving it a thumb's up. This is a rare thing these days. Don't get me wrong. She's really a pretty good eater. Lately, though, getting her to try anything new is a battle. But today, I got her to try two things she's never had, with a promise to try one more.

But I am getting ahead of myself.

It all started this afternoon when I was checking in with one of my favorite blogs about cooking - Dinner: A Love Story. Today's post was all about getting kids to try new foods. You should really go read it because it's a very interesting and entertaining post, but if you don't, I'll give you the gist. The writer of the post, in an attempt to get his kids to try new foods, gives them their own money to spend as they wish at the farmer's market and the grocery store as long as they promise to eat what they buy. The theory is similar to the "if they cook it, they will eat it" theory that I'm always going on about. If kids are in some way invested in the food, they are more likely to give it a try. And it totally worked. "I MUST TRY THIS, TOO," I thought.

About the time I finished reading the article, Daphne came downstairs after a failed nap attempt. The wheels started turning. Conveniently, there is a farmer's market down the street from my house every Wednesday afternoon. And conveniently, I needed eggs (because I am finally feeling like I have my act together enough to make ravioli with my new pasta machine - but that's another post). So, I said to Daphne, "Hey, I have a deal for you. Let's take a walk to the farmer's market so I can get eggs, and I'll give you five dollars to buy whatever you want. But it has to be something you haven't had before and you have to promise to try it."

Her immediate response was, "No way, Mom. I am NOT taking that deal."

A few minutes went by.

"OK, Mom, I'll take the deal IF you wear something fancy to the Farmer's Market."

Um, OK. Weird, but OK. "How about if I wear that necklace you made for me? It's fancy."

And a deal was made. I put on the necklace:

Daphne got her five dollars:

And we hit the farmer's market.

The first things we checked out were some interesting looking squashes. "They're so pretty!" I said. "They are really sweet," said the produce lady. "No thanks," said Daphne. Defeat.

But then, we saw the cherry samples. Daphne has never had cherries except the ones that come on ice cream sundaes. She wanted to try one! Success!

And just like that, she happily spent three of her five dollars on some beautiful sweet cherries.

"Can I get something else, Mom?"

"You sure can! You still have two dollars."

So, she picked yellow beans (she's only ever had green ones).

And just for fun, I got the pretty pattypan squash and told her I was going to try something new, too.

She was so proud buying those beans all by herself.

When we got home, I washed a couple of the beans, and she gobbled them up. "These are SO yummy!" And that brings us back to that first picture up there. Daphne, eating her first yellow bean, and giving it the thumbs up. Granted, yellow beans and cherries are not the most exotic things she could have picked, but they were new and exciting to her. Baby steps. And she even promised to try some of the squash when I cook it.

So thank you, Dinner: A Love Story, for the great idea. It worked. And it was fun.

Sadly, there were no eggs at the market today, so I had to get some at Safeway. Ravioli has been made. Tomorrow, it will be eaten. I will let you know how it goes. There will be pictures either way.

A Long Way to Go...

2011-06-21T15:33:00.002-06:00

Here is my Nantucket Jar.* It has $1.95 in it. I gathered up the loose change at the bottom of my purse. At this rate, I'll get to go to Nantucket for my 65th birthday. I better start looking around for stuff I can sell.

* I realize it probably would have been more clever to have a "Nantucket Bucket," but a jar will have to do.

There Once was a Place Called Nantucket

2011-06-21T10:06:00.001-06:00

Thanks to a tip from Kev's sister Darlene, I did some research on Nantucket. This is the place I have been dreaming about. I want to go there. I might want to LIVE there. There are sailboats and seafood and biking and hiking and shops and all kinds of stuff. (Photo above was swiped from some lucky person's flickr page). Nantucket is the place for me! I'm starting a vacation jar TODAY. Thanks, Darlene!

PS. Here is where I want to stay.

Maine

2011-06-20T14:38:00.006-06:00

Today, I have been thinking a lot about going on vacation. It's been a long time since we've been on a vacation that wasn't visiting family. Not that there's anything wrong with visiting family, but you know what I mean. Sometimes, you just need to go AWAY and do NOTHING in a quiet place. This photo was taken in Maine in 2003 - probably my very most favorite all time vacation. We accomplished a good mixture of "doing stuff" and "doing nothing." There were whales. There were loons. There was lobster bisque. It was perfect.

I have been telling Kev that I want to go on a vacation, sort of like the Maine one, with lots of down time, perhaps sitting on a porch looking at sailboats while drinking coffee and knitting, then walking to the local village for delicious fresh seafood. Or staying on the porch and grilling some chicken. Is there a place where you can do that? Kev said maybe it's Cape Cod. But I don't know anything about Cape Cod. Could it be Martha's Vinyard? I don't know anything about that either. I think maybe we need to go back to Maine to find the perfect place. But not a super touristy place. Less people, more loons.

Our challenge is Daphne, of course. Kev and I could sit on a porch and watch sailboats all day long and be perfectly content, but the shortest and squirmiest member of our family wouldn't put up with that for very long. There would have to be something to DO. The whole porch/sailboat scene sorta loses its magic when someone is whining "I'm BORED" in the background. I reckon we could bring the Legos and the DS.

Any ideas?

Oh well. This summer is pretty much full, so we have at least a year to figure this all out. Daphne will be six next summer. Maybe she will be able to sit still longer than 30 seconds by then.

Places I want to go:

~~The unknown place with the porches and sailboats~~ NANTUCKET!
Maine
Dallas/Austin
Montreal
Brooklyn, or
The Red Caboose Motel

...but that's another story.

Father's Day Weekend - In Cinemascope

2011-06-20T08:05:00.000-06:00

I found a new photo editing toy and put all the pictures from this post in cinema-scope. Just because. Go here to play around.

Father's Day weekend started with a visit to Breaux Vinyard for their annual Cajun Festival. It was a really nice day to sit under a tree and enjoy being outside.

We got to sample some wine, eat Cajun food, and take Daphne on a hayride. Can someone please remind me why hayrides are supposed to be fun? I was hot and itchy and couldn't wait for it to be over. I don't think Daphne loved it either. But still. In all, it was a good day out. I have to say, though, I think I enjoy the wineries more when there is not a big event going on.

Saturday afternoon, I used the last of the blueberries in a clafoutis. It was very tasty and not overly sweet. Time to get more blueberries.

On Sunday morning, Daphne and I surprised Kev with a Daddy and Me cooking class at Cookology. They made Crispy Chocolate French Toast and Candied Bacon while I wandered around the mall. Alone. I was happy that Daphne, who is completely against French Toast, cooked some, tried it, and loved it. I've said it before, if they cook it, they will eat it. I think Kev really enjoyed the class. Cookology is such a great place. I want to do one of the adult classes sometime. Hint hint. If anyone needs any birthday ideas.

In the afternoon, we drove down to Manassas for a cookout, minigolf, and ice cream at Nathan's Dairy Bar.

It's been forever since I've had a cheeseburger, and it was great. All the food was good. The golf was very entertaining (Daphne has a unique style) and the ice cream was a perfect ending. That Nathan's is apparently the place to be in Manassas. I swear the line was at least 50 people long, but it went fast, and since it was Father's Day, all the daddies got free ice cream. I think Leesburg needs a Nathan's. Maybe that's my ticket to not having to go back to the world of Speech Pathology.

So, Happy Father's Day to Kev and my dad and all the other good daddies out there. I hope yours was as good as ours.

One other quick item of good news: my Uncle Danny got sprung from his physical rehab facility for a day, to go to my Aunt Kathy's for his own Father's Day cookout. He said he felt like he was getting out of jail. I think the field trip went well and cheered him up quite a bit. Maybe this means he'll be able to go home soon. Yay!

Now it's Monday. Daphne starts her new swimming class today, and we're going to the library because they're kicking off their summer reading club program. There is laundry to do, messes to clean, and groceries to buy. Plus, I want to start deep-cleaning a room a la Emily. I need to make a list. I think that will help.

It's supposed to get pretty hot again this week. All the more reason to stay inside and clean. Happy Monday!

A Little Inspiration

2011-06-16T14:14:00.000-06:00

My friend Emily, who is coming to visit me in August (YAY!) has started a new project. She has eleven rooms in her house, and eleven weeks of summer vacation. So, she is completely cleaning and organizing one room per week so her house will be perfect (or as perfect as a house can be with two kids and a puppy) by the time school starts. In order to keep herself from giving up, she is blogging about it. You can check it out here: 11Rooms11Weeks. I am totally inspired. To hire her to do MY house when she's done.

(Kidding. I'm TOTALLY going to do this. In the fall, though. When my sidekick is at school.)

The Zen of Blueberries and a Big Rock Show Review

2011-06-16T13:48:00.004-06:00

Yesterday, we got up early and headed to Eagle Tree Farm and Vinyard with some preschool friends. Goal: Pick as many blueberries as possible.

We arrived at the farm just as the only other people there were leaving, so we had the place all to ourselves. There was a pond with geese, a little house, and rows and rows of blueberry bushes. It reminded me of England.

We got straight to work, and so did our helpers:

Blueberry picking is a cakewalk compared to strawberry picking. The berries are at just the right height. No bending, no stooping. It was easy to get into a groove. It was quiet, peaceful, and relaxing. And did I mention the temperature was about 70? PERFECT.

Soon, we had about three quarts, so we went over to a picnic table to put our money in the money box (it's all honor system at Eagle Tree), stopped Temple Hall Farm for a short visit to the playground, and headed back home. This was truly one of the most fun mornings I've had in a long time. The farm was beautiful, the weather was awesome, the kids were good, and the blueberries were delicious and plentiful. And I have big plans for them. This morning, we had them in pancakes. There will be more freezer jam as soon as I can get some pectin. Blueberry Pudding Cake is in our future, as well as a possible pie. And there may be a blueberry ice cream experiment before it's all over. We will probably need to go back to the farm for more to accomplish all this. No one will need to twist my arm.

Now, it's time to completely shift gears, because yesterday EVENING was all about rock. My brother and I went to Wolf Trap for the big Elvis Costello show:

And a big show it was. As you can see, there was a giant wheel on stage which was spun by members of the audience to pick the songs to be performed. He played for about 2 1/2 hours. Highlights: Party Girl, Girl (by the Beatles), Beyond Belief, a cool slowed-down version of Pump It Up, and part of Purple Rain. I have seen him several times, but I think this was my favorite show. He looked and sounded great. I'm so glad we didn't miss it. (See the full set list here).

Wolf Trap is a pretty cool place. The sound isn't bad for an outdoor venue. A nice feature is the legroom. When people are going in and out of the rows of seats, there is enough room for them to get by without everyone having to stand up. I guess they made up for that by squeezing the seats next to each other together as closely as possible, though. I was seated next to an unfortunately smelly large man, whose right arm cascaded over into my space, making me VERY uncomfortable. I was happy when the people to my brother's right left half-way through the show and I could change seats. No more smelly man! Aaahhh. Things were much more enjoyable.

One last quick item: I tried a new food this week. We went to the Shoes Secret Garden on Tuesday night, and got these goat cheese stuffed peppadews. I was nervous, but I tried them and they were GOOD! It proves you can't go wrong with goat cheese.

Summer is still going well, and I am trying to take advantage of this awesome weather, because I know it can't last. A big Father's Day weekend coming up, with more activities planned. I shall report back soon. Until then, Happy Father's Day to all the good nice Daddies out there!

Monday Morning - Mavericks and More

2011-06-13T06:50:00.000-06:00

This morning, everyone woke up in a good mood. The Mavericks won the NBA Finals last night, after all. Five years ago, the same two teams were in the finals, with different results. I followed the playoffs closely that year. I was 8 1/2 months pregnant and our house in Dallas was under construction. We had no TV during the Western Conference Finals, so we listened to games on the radio or went to a local bar to watch them. We celebrated advancing to the finals on the roof of some restaurant next to the Granada theater. Then, Daphne was born. I don't think I got to watch a single minute of the final series with the Heat, and that's just as well. I was disappointed, but I had other things on my mind.

Here is Daphne, about 2 months old, showing her Mavericks spirit (Thank you, Stacey U!). Fast forward to last night, same two teams, and Daphne holding the same rattle (see post below), but this time, the good guys won. And I can't think of anyone who deserved it more. They showed a lot of class. I am so happy for them all.

Summer is off to a great start, not just because of all the activity and sports championships, but because suddenly, the youngest member of our family is showing signs of a new level of maturity that makes life so much easier and more enjoyable. She is easy-going and agreeable almost all the time now. She is more independent. And she is fun. I'm sure there will be moments of slipping into her old behaviors, especially when she's tired, but I have a good feeling about the next few years. Perhaps this, plus the end of basketball play-off induced stress, will slow down the rate of silver hairs taking over.

This morning, we are off to the coffee shop to work on thank-you notes. And it's delightfully cool as promised. Maybe summer ain't so bad.

Yes.

2011-06-12T21:06:00.000-06:00

Summertime Rolls

2011-06-12T17:08:00.000-06:00

Week One of summer break is coming to a close, and it's been a big one. Monday, we went to the doctor for Daphne's annual check-up. Tuesday, we went to her Gardening Club meeting (Green Thumbkins - put together by our friend Miss Heather...so much fun). Wednesday, Grandma and Grandpa came over and we got our new couch. At last. Kev and I celebrated by watching a movie (The King's Speech) since it is now possible to sit on the couch for over 10 minutes without extreme discomfort. Thursday was hot. I can't remember what we did...probably not much. Friday, we took a morning walk to Shoes:

And in the afternoon, we went to a birthday party at Pump It Up. Saturday, Kev took Daphne to the water park:

And in the evening, we ate dinner on the porch and walked to the new Frozen Yogurt place:

And this morning, we got up early and took a 10-mile bike ride to Paeonian Springs and back, and stopped at South Street Under for breakfast.

Then, we set up the new Slip-n-Slide, which Daphne slipped and slided on at least 100 times. She took a LONG nap.

Tonight, we're watching the Mavericks. Game 6. There will be ice cream.

At dinner, I told Daphne that there is no way we'll be able to keep up this pace all summer. But next week, there will be two field trips, a Big Rock Show, a sleep-over, a festival, and some Father's Day activities, so maybe I'm wrong. I'm tired, but at least I'm not bored.

The next couple of days are supposed to be delightfully cool. I hope to be outside as much as possible. I hope your summer is off to a good start, too. Almost game time. Fingers crossed...

Bells

2011-06-07T07:46:00.000-06:00

Part of the graduation entertainment was a short hand-bell concert performed by the kids. First, they did Twinkle Twinkle and London Bridge. But then, they busted out the Beethoven (please press play). Not bad for a bunch of 4-5 year olds.

The Graduate

2011-06-06T19:59:00.000-06:00

It was a big weekend. Daphne graduated from Preschool on Friday.

She played her last soccer game of the season on Saturday.

And she turned five on Sunday.

Her Mimi and Papa were here from NY to celebrate with us.

And G-Ma made it back from Indiana just in time to come to her birthday party with G-Pa - and Uncle Jeff (not pictured).

We celebrated with a small group of family and friends, and the guest of honor, Hunter the dog. It was a dog-themed birthday, after all. There were hot DOGS and PUPcakes:

and Dalmatian ice cream (chocolate chip) and candles and presents and general fun. Good times.

And today, we began summer break. I am not a fan of summer break. I am not a fan of summer in general. But I am determined to make the best of it and have a good time with Daphne before she starts Kindergarten in the fall. I have plans and goals. Perhaps I'll share them in another post.

But now, it's time to go to sleep. I need to rest up for tomorrow night's Mavs game. So stressful to watch, but I can't look away...

Pre-School Graduation

2011-06-06T14:50:00.001-06:00

Daphne told us that her teacher told them to "walk to the beat" and turn at the floor outlet at graduation. Apparently, she took this very seriously.

So much to write, so little time. Back soon!

Taking the Plunge

2011-05-30T20:10:00.000-06:00

Here she goes, off the starting block on the last day of swimming. We love Miss Jenine!

Strawberry Fields Forever

2011-05-30T18:30:00.000-06:00

Well, it is the end of a long Memorial Day weekend, and I haven't blogged in a while. There's a lot to catch up on, but I'll try to keep it short. My computer is more or less fixed now (Thanks, Kev!) so I can blog more often. I need to backtrack a little to last Wednesday, which was Daphne's last swimming class. Above, she is getting a certificate from her AWESOME teacher, Miss Jenine. Daphne made a lot of progress since September, when she told me she was quitting school and never ever getting in the pool. Wednesday, she jumped off the starting block and went all the way under water. And it was HER idea! I have video, which I will post when my Flip software gets re-installed. I am so proud of her. She was really brave.

On Friday afternoon, Kev came home early and we joined some good friends on a strawberry picking adventure. We took White's Ferry across to Maryland (this time in the car) and drove to Homestead Farm, where the pickin' was good. We ended up with more strawberries than I thought we could ever use, but three days later they're almost gone. We've had strawberry milkshakes, strawberry shortcake:

and strawberries on our cereal and on salads. I froze some to use later for smoothies. I made strawberry freezer jam:

I just used the recipe on the Sure-Jell pectin box. It is GOOD!. I used the "less sugar" pectin, which only calls for three cups of sugar instead of four. And it was still REALLY sweet. We had some on biscuits this morning, which helped cut the sweetness some. Maybe by blueberry picking time, I'll have my act together enough to make cooked jam.

I also made strawberry ice cream, which we had last night:

And also yesterday, Kev grilled some salmon on cedar planks, which is a method we've never tried before. It was great. Here is the recipe we used. There was one on the plank package that looked good too...maybe we'll try that one next time. A quote from Daphne: "I LOVE THIS SALMON!" So, that's something.

Today it was really hot. Upper 90's. I successfully managed not to step foot out of the house. We have spent the day doing various projects around the house, preparing for next weekend. We'll have Daphne's preschool graduation, her last soccer game, and her birthday, and Kev's parents are coming for a visit. It should be a lot of fun. I am off to check on Kev. He is busy repairing the squirrel wall. Happy Memorial Day. I hope you had some strawberries.

Polaroids Rule

2011-05-24T14:25:00.002-06:00

This is a picture of me and my Uncle Danny in 1971. I'm happy to say he is doing better and better every day at the rehab therapy facility. Today he had to go back to the hospital for some more x-rays, which almost didn't happen because of some kind of mix-up. Luckily, my mom and my two aunts, Kathy and Karen, were there to take care of business. You don't want to mess with my mom and my aunts. Anyway, the xrays indicated that things are going well...the news could not have been better. So yay! Now, it's back to rehab for intense OT/PT. It won't be easy, but he can handle it.

I love Polaroids. Here is another one of me and Danny from 1974. I was about six. I remember this day. I remember going for a ride on that motorcycle. I just can't believe my mom let me go. And with no helmet!

Now she barely even lets Daphne go on the monkey bars without having a nervous breakdown.

For the record, Daphne is not allowed on motorcycles. Ever. Not even when I'm dead.

Oh, I'll know.

Computer is Still Broken, Blogging Anyway

2011-05-23T12:07:00.000-06:00

I am going through blog withdrawal. My computer is broken. It won't boot up, and Kev hasn't had time to look at it. I fear the worst, but maybe he can fix it. Time will tell. In the meantime, I've been using Kev's computer, which I don't like for several reasons, but at least it's something. Just wanted to blog a quick blog to catch up on things before I forget, so here are some highlights from the last couple weeks:

Kev and Daphne made my belated Mother's Day breakfast the Sunday after Mother's Day. Crepes. So great. Then we went to ride White's Ferry (above) the only ferry across the Potomac River. It was about a five minute ride over to Maryland, where we took a short hike. Kinda cool. Daphne enjoyed it.
We've been eating meals on the porch as often as possible. Food is better that way.
On Saturday, Kev and I went to Vintage 50 here in Leesburg, and I had a Lobster Grilled Cheese. After I finished it, I overheard the people behind us talking over the menu and saying you just should never combine lobster and cheese. Au contraire, mon frere! This was one of the best sandwiches I've ever had. Lobster meat, melty brie, and basil. Delicious. Weird, but delicious.
Last night, I helped Kev mow the lawn. This was my first ever lawn-mowing experience. Don't tell Kev I said this, but it wasn't so bad! In fact, I kinda enjoyed it! But I wouldn't want to do it in the heat of the summer, especially when the gnats are bad. Kev said mowing the lawn is worth cooking five dinners. I mowed half the lawn, so I figure he owes me 2 1/2 dinners now. I'd like gumbo, please. Or eggplant parm.
I took Daphne to a birthday party yesterday at Pump It Up, which is a bounce-house/giant inflatables place. She had a blast. We have two more similar birthday parties on the calendar in the next couple of weeks. Meanwhile, I am planning a little party for Daphne's FIFTH birthday. It is going to be very small this year, but fun nonetheless. She is also having her preschool graduation next week. Exciting times. More on all that later.
Maybe the Mavs will win the NBA championship this year! That would be cool.
Here are some things I want to do if I can ever get my act together: Make a new cushion for the porch swing, make pasta with my pasta-making tools, learn how to make berry preserves. Strawberry season is almost over, though. Maybe next year.

OK...I hope to be back on line for real very soon. If not, I'll try to pop on here via Kev's computer from time to time. Have a good week!

My Computer is Broken. Again.

2011-05-15T19:47:00.000-06:00

I will blog a blog as soon as I can.

Bacon + Chocolate

2011-05-09T13:00:00.000-06:00

In the car on Friday, I split one of these with my mom and Jeff. It was surprisingly good. Who knew?

Foodspotting

2011-05-09T12:31:00.000-06:00

So, I found out about this website called "Foodspotting" where people can post photos of food they recommend from various restaurants around the world. So cool. If you are thinking about going to a certain restaurant, you can check the Foodspottting site to see if anyone has posted photos of the food they ate there. Sometimes there are brief reviews as well. And if a photo you see has lots of "noms," it means others have tried and liked that particular menu item. Check it out...it's kind of fun to see what people have posted from your favorite restaurants. I added a widget to my sidebar for my own pictures of food. The most recent is the Kentucky Hot Brown I had on Derby Day at Buckhead in Jeffersonville when we took my grandma to lunch. It just seemed like the appropriate thing to eat at the time. I also posted the above photo that Kev took in DC of his Acadiana Sorbet Trio. Yum. Thanks to Jimmy B for the link and the new hobby. I just hope I don't embarrass Kev to the point that he stops taking me to restaurants.

Home

2011-05-09T12:06:00.002-06:00

Sunday Morning - New Albany

Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, West Virginia, Kentucky, Indiana, and the District of Columbia. That's where I've been during the last three weekends. This past weekend, my brother and I drove my mom to Indiana so we could see my Uncle Danny in the hospital, and so she could stay a few weeks to help out with his recovery. It was a quick trip. We drove all day Friday, spent time with my Grandma on Saturday, and drove back all day Sunday. We managed to work in two visits to the hospital, some Pizza King, and a stop at the Zesto. A good trip. My uncle is getting a little better every day, which is very good news. He gets to leave the hospital today or tomorrow and will be moved to a rehab therapy facility. I was really happy to see and talk to him.

Sunday Evening - Leesburg

Kevin and Daphne had a big time while I was gone. They did some shopping and gardening and playing and they went out to eat a few times. I arrived home in time to go out for a nice Mother's Day dinner. Next week, they are making me breakfast. I can't wait for that. I missed them. It's good to be home. And I think this time, I'll be staying a while.

Big DC Weekend

2011-05-02T14:15:00.001-06:00

On Friday afternoon, Kev and I packed up the car and headed for the Nation's Capital for a belated anniversary weekend away. We packed a lot into our trip. Here are a few highlights:

We stayed at the Carlyle Suites near Dupont Circle. Very nice. I highly recommend it. It is very art deco and has those memory foam mattresses. I will tell you I am now a huge fan. I usually wake up all crooked and stiff and sore, but not after sleeping on the memory foam. Yay NASA!

We did a lot of shopping, including a stop at Red Onion where Kev used a gift certificate from Christmas to get some pretty good stuff on vinyl. We also went to Mitchell Gold Bob Williams furniture store and purchased a new couch for the TV room. We've been in the market for a long time, and we finally found just what we were looking for. Great store, too. No high pressure salespeople breathing down our necks. Goodbye, brown couch! At last!

We saw an amazing Cuban jazz piano player at HR-57. Chuchito Valdes. How great is that name? If we ever get a pet, it will be named Chuchito. This guy played the piano like no one I've ever seen. Check him out on youtube sometime. Incredible.

We saw a really good movie called Win Win at the E Street Cinema. REALLY good. Paul Giamatti is great.

We went to Ford's Theater to see where Lincoln was shot. Very interesting.

We had several great meals, including a dinner at Vento. I had delicious butternut squash raviolini. Yum. I recommend this place highly if you're in Dupont Circle at dinnertime.

And we had a great Sunday Jazz Brunch at Acadiana. Look how happy I am:

I had the "pain perdu" appetizer (a piece of french toast with bananas foster sauce), and the shrimp and grits and tasso ham entree. For dessert I had bread pudding. It was all really good. Kev's food was good too. I think it was probably worth the $30/person.

In between all the food and shopping and so forth, we walked and walked and walked some more. It was great. I got to spend time with Kev and hang out in a city. A real city with STUFF in it. And PEOPLE in it who go out and do stuff. I needed it. I feel refreshed. Thanks, Kev.

And thanks to my mom and dad, too, because while we were off in DC, they were holding down the fort and taking Daphne to her various weekend activities, like birthday parties and soccer games:

She FINALLY got to play. It was the first Saturday in weeks that it didn't rain. We missed her while we were away. It's good to be home.

New York Easter Circus Weekend

2011-04-26T07:48:00.002-06:00

Happy Belated Easter. I have been away from the computer because we spent Easter weekend in Upstate New York with Kevin's family. A good time was had by all. There was egg-coloring, egg hunting, baskets full of candy and toys, cousins to play with, a birthday party, lots of good food, and three cakes. One day for breakfast, there were pancakes and ice cream cake. Needless to say, we all, especially Daphne, had a great time. And somehow, I managed to LOSE a pound while I was there. Incredible.

The weather wasn't great, but that was OK.

Easter morning was foggy, but eventually the sun came out.

The trip to NY was kinda last-minute. We had bought tickets to take Daphne to the circus on Easter afternoon as a surprise, and thought we'd just have to skip it because of the trip, but on the way home Sunday, we realized that we could get there just in time if we went directly to the Patriot Center without going home first. Daphne didn't know anything about it. As we got close, we told her that our GPS must be broken, and that it was taking us the wrong way. We stopped at the arena and went to Will Call "to ask for directions." Daphne was pretty surprised when we were handed three tickets and ended up at the Greatest Show on Earth. *

She chose a tiger snow-cone cup as her souvenir. It was eleven dollars. ELEVEN DOLLARS! But she was happy. After the circus, we found a nearby kabob place for dinner and didn't get home until after 9:00. It was a long, exhausting day, but it was worth it.

Now we're home and trying to get back into the routine. I am doing a TON of laundry today. What I REALLY want to do is play with my new pasta-making tools that Kev got me for Easter. There is a lot of ravioli in our future. But it will have to wait until next week.

On a serious note, my Uncle Danny was in a very bad accident over the weekend. Here is what's left of the car:

Scary, huh? He is in the hospital with several broken bones, but miraculously NO head injuries. It will be a long recovery, but it could have been so much worse. So far, no one knows the cause of the accident, but there is a chance there may have been some texting involved. PLEASE, for the love of all that is good in this world, stay off your phone when you are driving. I cannot stress enough how dangerous this is. I see people doing it all the time and it infuriates me. Especially when I have Daphne in the car with me. Nothing is so important that it can't wait until you're off the road. And if it IS so important, just pull over. Lecture over. No, it's not. DON'T TEXT AND DRIVE! Ok, now it's really over. Only good thoughts now for Danny and his family. They are really good people and this shouldn't have happened to them.

OK...I better get off my soap box and get back to Laundry Mountain. I hope you had a safe and happy Easter Weekend.

Lots of pictures from our trip on flickr if you wanna see...

* This is debatable. It had its moments, but I've seen greater.